Handshakes & Hi-Fives
Castle Island Brewing Co.
- From:
- Castle Island Brewing Co.
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- Imperial IPA
- ABV:
- 8.2%
- Score:
- +6 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4 | pDev: 5.75%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Mar 06, 2020
- Added:
- Feb 15, 2020
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
Hazy double IPA featuring Citra, Loral and Michigan Chinook
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by ichorNet from Massachusetts
3.63/5 rDev -9.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.63/5 rDev -9.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
HS&HF is a hazy double IPA from Castle Island, released with very little fanfare just a couple weeks ago. I love the name and can art, so when I saw it in my local store, I grabbed a single to see how they did with it. CI makes some pretty good IPAs (I'm very fond of Hi-Def, and I like Dank Sinatra, Keeper and Big Ern quite a bit as well), but I don't think I've had such a cloudy one from them before.
The pour is opaque and light orange with a retentive yet smallish ring of bone-white foam. As it recedes to a quarter-finger, it leaves behind some decent lacing patterns; drippy and kinda typical looking, but it's not bad overall. I wish it were a bit more stately in my glass, but perhaps I'm being pickier than usual.
The nose has a little less "oomph" than I was expecting it to have. This beer is hopped with Citra, Loral, and Michigan-grown Chinook hops, which is certainly an interesting and unexpected combination. I have as yet been convinced by the use of Loral in IPAs (it's one of those odd hops that seems more suited for farmhouse ales and other non-IPA styles that still could use some bold hop character at times), but perhaps this will be the one to do it for me. The addition of Chinook means this may be focused on spicier/woodsier flavors than most other NEIPAs. Up front I get some apricot, rye-like spice, guava, tangelo, and "cat pee" dankness. Oh yeah, this is Citra-forward all right. Definitely not gonna be for everyone. And I don't really think it smells too awesome myself, but maybe it'll drink better. Like I said, it's just lacking something to make it jump out and define itself.
On the tongue, it's kind of more of the same; as I expected, honestly. This is not blowing me away whatsoever. The grain bill is a little heavy-handed, lending a ton of odd sweetness to this, while some apricot, mango, and overripe papaya come through on the hoppy side of things. A touch of spice and grassiness with pine undertones that never really manifest as something solidly flavorful. I am quite disappointed in this one, not gonna lie. It just kinda exists without definition, and the strength seems oddly boastful without having much to it. The feel is thick and viscous, but with no real hop character to back it up, it just feels lost to me. Oh well, can't win 'em all.
Feb 15, 2020The pour is opaque and light orange with a retentive yet smallish ring of bone-white foam. As it recedes to a quarter-finger, it leaves behind some decent lacing patterns; drippy and kinda typical looking, but it's not bad overall. I wish it were a bit more stately in my glass, but perhaps I'm being pickier than usual.
The nose has a little less "oomph" than I was expecting it to have. This beer is hopped with Citra, Loral, and Michigan-grown Chinook hops, which is certainly an interesting and unexpected combination. I have as yet been convinced by the use of Loral in IPAs (it's one of those odd hops that seems more suited for farmhouse ales and other non-IPA styles that still could use some bold hop character at times), but perhaps this will be the one to do it for me. The addition of Chinook means this may be focused on spicier/woodsier flavors than most other NEIPAs. Up front I get some apricot, rye-like spice, guava, tangelo, and "cat pee" dankness. Oh yeah, this is Citra-forward all right. Definitely not gonna be for everyone. And I don't really think it smells too awesome myself, but maybe it'll drink better. Like I said, it's just lacking something to make it jump out and define itself.
On the tongue, it's kind of more of the same; as I expected, honestly. This is not blowing me away whatsoever. The grain bill is a little heavy-handed, lending a ton of odd sweetness to this, while some apricot, mango, and overripe papaya come through on the hoppy side of things. A touch of spice and grassiness with pine undertones that never really manifest as something solidly flavorful. I am quite disappointed in this one, not gonna lie. It just kinda exists without definition, and the strength seems oddly boastful without having much to it. The feel is thick and viscous, but with no real hop character to back it up, it just feels lost to me. Oh well, can't win 'em all.
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