Fresher Than Fresh
Trap Door Brewing

this is absurd, elite, as good as it gets. and maybe my favorite fresh hop beer of the season, and that was before it won gold at gabf this year, so yeah, astounding stuff, one of the best expressions of mosaic i have ever known, like when it first came out all those years ago, purest form, peak harvest, oily and interesting, pineapple yes, catty no, this one is not to be missed! striking beer really, and beautiful for its simplicity too, very pale, brassy at the deepest, close to clear but not filtered to oblivion at the expense of the hops, not heavy to drink but very pungent, neutral ferment and pretty dry overall, pale two row barley based it seems like, and that might be it, a less is more approach other than the hops, which is obviously a more is more approach, which is how it should be with wet hops, my goodness! shoutout coleman for the crop here too, this isnt any old mosaic, well done! the aroma and flavor are totally mosaic, radiantly fresh with zested orange, meyer lemon, and even overripe mango fruitiness in addition to its more familiar crushed pineapple side, some weedy and fuel-like dankness but this isnt overrun by that, lychee and some tropical juiciness, just a flash of grain support and balance with some middle sweetness for a moment, then things like red fruit punch, lemongrass, and even like a taffy fruitiness, slick and sticky at the same time, seriously like extra concentrated mosaic, borderline hop product, cryo or something, so intense but never green or harsh even a little bit, and bitterness is pretty mellow for objectively hoppy this is overall, such a great extraction of the best parts of these cones, ripe cantaloupe, chardonnay pomace, high end sativa, just absurd beer. drinkable too, could have a half dozen of these easy. far and away the best trap door beer ive ever had, they should be awfully proud of this one! cant recommend it highly enough!

Pours an effervescent & bright gold with one finger of eggshell colored head. Average-ish head retetion & lacing

S: Melons, a little grassyness, nose was a little muted until warm

T: Follows the nose, fairly dry, some pomelo notes up front. Mineral hop dryness combines cantaloupe, a little orange zest, white grape and grassy notes as this beer warms up. Finishes dry with green melon, pomelo & a little bit of woody hop

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, decent balance

Easy to drink, but the hops don't really pop enough to get me excited

 

2024-10-18
16oz can served in a half pint shaker. Dated 09/15/24. Bought it at Full Throttle Bottles six days ago.

Pours clear, light golden, small head, looks still. Smell is fresh lemon blossoms and bubble gum, honeysuckle sweetness.

Taste is a little catty, lots of honeysuckle sweetness, pine and lemon bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light, thin, just a hint of prickliness. Overall, pretty good IPA.

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2025-10-16
16oz can with no visible date. I think it won the gold medal this year. I'd probably give it a little higher marks this year than I did last year, but most of my notes are still pretty applicable. Bitterness is very intense. Very WCIPA with a notable fresh hop exhalation.