The Swarm
Twin Elephant Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a solid two finger head, surface marked by quickly popping bubbles, average retention, leaves a ring at the surface line otherwise not much lacing. The liquid is a full-on pureed look, opaque, dull yellow. The nose offers a pleasing herbaceous spine balanced out by sweeter white citrus and of course the honey (which is in no way overpowering), melon, apricot to mango fruit scents, likewise demure, overall does a good job of blending the elements into a cohesive whole. Light-bodied, if foamy enough to not seem so during the mouth entry. Here too it offers a clearly dank core without getting so stanky as to attract too much attention. Same array of fruit, juicy but to me not really tropical, no sour notes. Dose of white grapefruit pith. The maltiness doesn't jump out at you but more noticeable a few sips in, scone to biscuit flavors. So unobtrusive that I almost forgot it had the honey added. Gets extra points for integration and avoiding bombast. (Canned 1/17/22)

 

Canned on 1/17/2022 and reviewed 6 days later. Poured into a pint glass. It pours a dense, murky, dirty yellow color with two fingers of creamy, bright white head and thick, long-lasting lacing. It's an attractive pour. The fragrant smell includes lemon peel, lime, grapefruit, and a nice dose of honey. Its taste opens with the creamy sweetness of the honey and oats but it's quickly balanced by tart lemon and grapefruit from the Citra hops, notes of ripe honeydew melon and berry from the Huell Melon, pineapple from the Vic Secret, and dry wheat cracker. As it warms the honey reemerges and melts on the tip of the tongue. It finishes with clean, bitter hop bite. The mouth feel is thick and creamy with fairly lively carbonation, and while it's a substantial ale at 7.2% ABV, a second pour is not a problem. Overall, The Swarm is very tasty and fun to drink. Don't be put off by the honey; it's used very well. I like it a lot.

 

L-Hazy, juicy, a bit darker than OJ.......2 Fingered head......lacing is moderate......

S-Orange, pineapple, some malty sweetness along with the honey

T-similar to the nose......more of the honey sweetness coming through than the malts........little to no bitterness.....very tasty and balanced as there is nothing dominating the taste profile

F- Creamy, low carb, pleasant

O- Very good.......well balanced...very drinkable........all aspects of this brew are well done....would buy again

Solid IPA with good tastes of honey on the backend. Pours a dark yellow with additional tastes of mangos and other fruits as well in this fine brew from NJ.

 

a: super murky matte burnt yellow color with a hint of darker amber towards the center of the glass. 2 finger soapy off-white head that fades to a 1/2 finger film

s: smell is apparent as soon as you open the can. honey, tangerine, apricot, mango, strawberry seeds, and clementine up front. crackers and creamsicles behind that. a hint of guava and sweet melon kiss the nostrils towards the end for a nice subtle smooth sweetness. finish on the nose is smooth creamsicle and honey

t: honey, sweet mango, sweet orange, and candied apricot upfront. sweet malt and clementine with a nice hit of guava behind that. wet doughy biscuits and sweet grass with a touch of grapefruit. more honey, orange, strawberry, a touch of dank herbal/earthy hops, and oat close out this

m: medium-heavy mouthfeel with low carbonation

o: nice DDH IPA. it is super sweet from the honey, but balanced well by..believe it or not, some raw hop burn. it has a little touch of tropical fruit as well to keep it rounded, but on the sweet side. if you like honey IPA's, this is a definite must try