5¹: Too Short Super Session IPA
The Exchange Brewery

473 mL can from Superstore; packaged Jul 19 2021 and served barely chilled.

Pours a hazy, turbid, pale apricot-yellow colour, generating nearly an inch of puffy, soapy white head that seeps off within five minutes or so. A smooth, quarter-inch collar and cap of foam remains in place, with a small amount of lace tossed about as well - looks fine to me, with excellent lace deposition as the level drops. Quite fruity and juicy on the nose - I'm getting melon, peach, orange and grapefruit, with hints of passion fruit, papaya, white grape and floral, pithy hops. Surprisingly aromatic for only 3.3%.

A nice, light IPA with low bitterness and a fair bit of juiciness. Grainy malts and oat sweetness are the backdrop, with flavours of lemon, stone fruit, passion fruit and honeydew melon. A little bit of floral, weakly resiny hop bitterness rounds out the back end, with suggestions of tropical & stone fruit dissipating into the aftertaste, which is off-dry. Light in body, with moderate carbonation levels that softly prickle the surface of the tongue; feels smooth and a bit fluffy on the tongue. Feels a bit thin - not necessarily by session IPA standards, just in general - and exceptionally easy to toss back.

Final Grade: 3.88, a B+. 5¹ Too Short Super Session IPA is an NEIPA in all but name only - I mean it's hazy, more juicy than bitter, and has oats in it, which qualifies it as far as I'm concerned. The tropical/stone fruit-heavy hop profile is pleasant, particularly on the nose, and overall I'd say it's well above average for a session IPA. Keeping in mind that I don't reach for light IPAs all that often, this is a worthwhile one that I expect to return to at some point. Recommended if you have an interest in this sessionable sub-style.