Lip Sync Apology
Cloudburst Brewing

 

after hearing so many rave reviews about these guys, i was more than excited to try my first ever beer from them. i have heard such wonderful things, and i thought this was tasty, but its not incredible, and its not that different. its a nice use of these sexy hops in a dry hopped context, the beer is fresh and well made, but its simple and samey, everyone seems to be doing beer like this these days, and i guess i just expected a little more from this, even though i really liked it. some haze here, a tall white head, and a pale colored beer, intentionally minimally malty i would think. i like how forward the galaxy hops are in the mix, it always seems like they are underneath or even subservient to varietals like citra and mosaic, but i taste the grassy, limey, tropical, white winey galaxy as much as i do the citra or the mosaic here, which i guess is what i like the most about this one. its still got heaps of citra and mosaic too, mostly dry hopped i have to imagine, soft citrus and herbs, light cat pee from mosaic, very fresh tasting though and well balanced for what it is, hardly any bitterness in here at all. excellent carbonation makes it pop in the finish. my first beer from the highly acclaimed cloudburst is a good one, but it could have come from anywhere...

I had this beer on-tap in a big drinking glass at the brewery.

Appearance: medium golden hue with a moderate haze and a finger of creamy ivory foam. Good!

Smell: lightly grassy hops and a hint of sweetness. Aroma is not particularly strong, but it's nice.

Taste: grassy and earthy hops atop a relatively sweet base. Sweet, but not too heavy; not bad.

Mouthfeel: medium body with an extremely well-integrated carbonation and great creaminess for the style.

Overall: there's nothing mind-blowing about this IPA, but it is tasty enough and the texture is great.

Cloudy out the tap. Very much a citrus and tropical nose to the aroma that is on the sweet side. Taste is rather like a traditional IPA with bitterness at the front and a slight sweet/juice going down but not all "juice" quality that is so popular currently. Finishes with the orange/gtapefruit juicy end to it. This finish balances the initial taste well. I would say a good blend of NE and WC IPA.