It's Just A Phaze
Crane Brewing Company

 

 

 

Copper colored with a hazy complexion. There’s an inch of densely packed beige on top. The aroma is of vegetal to earthy hops. I’m tasting lightly vegetal to earthy hops. The mouth is light, moderately carbonated and dry.

 

12 oz can purchased in KCMO at Lukas' in a 6 pack. No date. Ploughshare glass. I love Crane so I took a chance! Canned two weeks ago.

Has a nice juicy hazy appearance though not super thick or creamy, just like a mild to moderate haze here. Blonde of course, perhaps more medium-shaded, with a creamy cap of 1/2 finger.

Aroma is of lemon peel, some grainy aromas, and smells like farty dry yeast (much like my first NE IPA homebrew attempts). A bit unfinished here.

Flavor is soft and moderately clean (a bit better than my aforementioned dirtier homebrews) but does not really translate huge hop flavor. It still tastes a little unfinished/yeasty. I get mild pineapple and mild mango that builds more on the back palate, which is nice, and then some lingering tangerine sweetness and lemon peel.

Feel is super juicy and acidic which really helps things along. Really gives it that NE IPA monker. Nice carbonation level, pleasant warming alcohol in mild to moderate levels. Drying resiny acidic finish.

Overall, this is probably slightly above par for what I'd find here in South Dakota. I love Crane, but this one definitely needs some work. I looked at the reviews prior to buying and people seemed to love it, so it was an instant grab. This wasn't quite what I had hoped. A bit of a let down. Easy and soft sure, but the hop flavors are not punching through as well as they should and it is still a slightly dirty beer. Would probably not revisit for a second 6'er.


Edit : after a couple more tries this beer is growing on me. A nice crusher. Nothing phenomenal, but enjoyable and easy. Great opener beer for a session. Scores adjusted.

Edit 2 : scores not adjusted here, but 7 weeks into canning, this beer totally crapped the bed. I'm not talking faded, I'm saying that it tastes like a garbage disposal and baby vomit. I threw the other two cans out. Drink this one as fresh as you can.

Price paid : $11.99 / 6 pack
Would buy again : probably not

 

 

Pours a hazed gold with 2 fingers of fluffy ivory colored head. Good head retention okay lacing

S: Slight orange notes, grassyness

T: Follows the nose, pomello notes as well along with bready dryness up front. More pomello, grassyness & a touch of green melon as this warms. Finishes dry with a little lime & grassyness

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, decent balance

Drinks okay, but nothing really pops. Not anywheres worth the $ 15.00 a sixer I paid

Possibly one of the smoothest NEIPA's I've had. Soft, fluffy, crushable. Yet, not super heavy or thick, fairly light for an IPA. Stone and tropical fruit dominate, super juicy. But what's the most impressive is there is almost no discernable bitterness. Very smooth and one of the best representations I've had of what hopes can provide other than bitterness. Great stuff.

12oz bottle. Poured out a hazy, golden orange color with a small, white head of foam. It smelled of orange juice, grapefruit and mango. Sweet tropical fruit taste with mild bitterness.

 

Pours a completely opaque orange with a half finger of white head forming after an aggressive splash and pour straight into my glass from a 32oz growler. Head retention is okay with no lacing. Aroma is orange, tangerine, papaya, and biscuit malts. It has a nice tropical, citrus quality to it, but isn't overly juicy. Flavor profile is orange, tangerine, papaya, mango, flour, and biscuit malts. It certainly has a lot of high quality notes going on, unfortunately it tastes a little thin. Mouth feel is medium-thin with a watery, uneventful edge. Overall, it is nearly full-bore NEIPA. It is just missing a few ticks in each catagory. The nose is fantastic, with the flavor profile working its way there.

Served in a 12oz snifter from a 32oz growler. Put in the growler 1 day prior to review. Growler was left in the fridge until making the review pour.