Nēnē
Beer Lab HI

When in Hawaii, then drink as the Hawaiians drink. And drink all the Nēnē -a New England-styled IPA that employs the flavors of El Dorado and Amarillo hops for an upgrade hop flavor upon a classic hop base. All resting on a soft pillow of cereal and malt and this will have all of our tastebuds soaking up Hawaiian beer.

Beer Lab Hawaii's forecast calls for haze as Nēnē kicks off with a foggy cream appearance white topping off with a soft white meringue. With the juiciness of melon, candied citrus, and light tropics drifting about the nose, the taste slathers with creamy cereal grain and malt with hints of coocnut and cream with hints of vanilla, dough and sweetness.

But once the beer washes over the middle palate, the juiciness extends into the sweet and fruity world of dragon fruit and monk fruit with the roundness of cantaloup. Not to be outdone, the hops soon share their orange peel and grapefruit flavors with the subtlety of candied pineapple. Trending smoothly bitter, the late palate is delicately herbal with green tea, verbena and sassafras.

Medium-light and juicy on the finish, the elements of "juicy" nearly approach a sense of watery while the beer steers away from dryness in favor of full cereal and fruit hop impressions. Its an easy drinking beer that eventually lacks the punch that's needed as these two hops usually work well in tandem with other hop varieties but rarely carry the flavor load on their own.