Spindrift
Talisman Brewing Company

i wanted to like this a lot more than i did. the hop profile is excellent, distinctive even, but there is something off in the fermentation and it throws this off a little for me, that soapy thing you sometimes get from cilantro, an almost lemon detergent aspect, a phenolic thing that shouldnt be there, a bummer because this is otherwise pretty cool. not one of those thick milky ones, this is still sunny yellow pale orange and glowing in the glass. it has a frothy inch plus of white head and great retention and lace, it appears well carbonated too. nose and taste both show the weird fermentation aspect, but also sweet citrus, mango, and peach nectar notes, a little more orange juice in the nose, a little more lemon and pine in the taste, a middle of the drink climax, a relatively dry finish, and some starchy smoothness from the grain base, oats likely, maybe some raw wheat too, its quite earthy and organic, very obviously fresh, and unfortunately degraded by whatever happened with the yeast. a little chemical at temperature, lemon lime soda artificial flavoring for a second, and then some pleasing hop bitterness to close. this is really near being awesome, it warms up a little oily with some pineapple juice, real yummy, but i cant get past this weird little estery thing, drop that out and this is a winner. maybe some batch variance here...

edit: two and a half years later or so trying this again and they definitely have it dialed now, cleaner ferment by a mile, juice enhancing maybe but near neutral now, double dry hopped goodness in a beer that drinks heartier than its abv in the best ways, not reduced or minimized at all, pineapple candy, ripe melon, tangerine, resinous and piney too though, coconut aftertaste, some bitterness too which i like, and some grain support in the flavor while remaining dry, an order of magnitude better than it was when i first had it, so upping a bunch of scores to sort of blend out the two experiences, but with weight on the latest, they have this firing right now, one of the best talisman beers they have going right now, definitely reworked and improved since the recent ownership change, no doubt!

Tall bottle direct from the source, “batch 7”

Pours fully hazed, delicate off white frothy cap and leaving a load of lacing on the glass.

Muted sniff of tropical fruits.

Better then decent, fruited up and full flavor NE style IPA...well crafted and highly enjoyable creation...go get some

 

LOOK - super frothy head from the 25.4oz. can - head is so thick and bubbly, it looks like dishsoap - super hazy and nearly opaque - this is listed as a HAZY IPA and it delivers - great head retention
SMELL - powerful citrus and mango aroma - hops are plentiful - smells a bit sweet and some malt and caramel on the backend
TASTE - wow! - powerful hops blast you upfront - slight bitterness but not as much as a typical IPA - fades into some sweet biscuit and malt - trails off with some grapefruit, mango, pineapple, and lemon - very flavorful - pretty close to a hop bomb - slight tart / tang mixes in here and there
FEEL - medium bodied - creamy - nice carbonation throughout
OVERALL - this is a great IPA/HIPA - plenty of hops to satisfy the average hop-head - not too overpowering - well balanced with bitterness/tartness/sweetness - overall a great drinking experience - will be purchasing this one again