Ko'olauloa IPA
Beer Lab HI

 

This was the first beer I had from Beerlab and I enjoyed it quite bit. That was 3 or 4 years ago and I’ve since enjoyed many good to excellent beers from them. They brought this back under their limited release 4-pack of 16 oz cans. Have to say that I don’t remember it tasting this good the first time. The citra dominates the pallet and it is fantastic. There’s even a slight, and I mean very slight, piney dankness that pops up after every pull. It’s a beer that I would recommend to anyone who likes smooth citrus flavors that mellow in the low end of your sinuses and on the front of your tongue. Too few people get to try these beers because they get gobbled up by folks like me and are only released on the rare. If you ever see one for trade, go for it. It’ll be worth your while. It’s not going to drop below the very good status and because there aren’t a ton of reviews or ratings, I say it’s outstanding. Don’t take my word for it, though. Find one.

 

 

Pours our a deep, dark, murky orange and forms two fingers of rocky crown.

The nose brings a pine mixing with citrus and backed with a honey, syrupy sweetness. Huge pineapple; the most I’ve ever detected.

The taste carries in with a clean hint of biscuit/cracker along with a fresh pine; not resin like.

The mouthfeel is full, syrupy and coats the mouth without being too thick. Bitter bite to it.

Overall, this is a really good example of a more west coast inspired ipa.

 

 

 

I received a crowler of this fabulous New England style IPA from the generous @y2kawakami. The crowler was canned on 9/16/2017. Poured into Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours a turbid, brownish apricot color with a huge fluffy bright white head and elegant lacing that lasted through the pour. It's a somewhat unusual, and very attractive color. The smell is super-fruity: while I'm not conversant with Hawaiian beers I believe I smell pineapple and mango, along with vanilla, pine, and fragrant hops. The taste is amazing! Big tropical fruit and a touch of vanilla, then come the hops. They are hard to identify but I wouldn't be surprised if they include Motueka. The hops are distinct but not overly bitter and they blend superbly with the fruit. This IPA has a creamy, silky mouth feel. The carbonation is pleasant and with an ABV of 7% I had no problem finishing the crowler. Overall, this is an outstanding American IPA of the NE style that offers big tropical fruit taste and is truly fun to drink. I'm thankful for the opportunity. Thank you, @y2kawakami!