Flat Beat
Whiplash Brewing

Dirty blonde with a pile of rimming snowy froth; tangerine, honeydew, honeysuckle, and a thread of dank on the nose; tangelo, cantaloupe, a hit of overripe papaya, a whiff of diesel, candied pineapple, peaches, canary melon, kiwi and grass; fluffy, light, silky.

Hallertau Blanc, El Dorado, Amarillo

4.25 4 4 4.25 4

The ingredients list reads like a statement of intent - two light, candied hops laid on wheat, carapils, and oat malt - to make a summery, gossamer-thin, fruit trifle.
And it succeeds in the body: a puffball that slides down effortlessly, belying the ABV, the hop load and even the fact that it’s a white IPA and not, say, a rather zesty blonde ale.
It’s the lightness of the malt bill that probably wrecks it, though. With no hint of biscuit to hang the hops on, there’s nothing to moderate the nagging thread of pungent dankness. It reads like a Nelson/Mosaic rotting melon + gym socks hit, which doesn’t map to any of the hops here. (Only El D is reputed to throw any dankness at all.)
Regardless, it’s there, and even peachy esters + all around craftsmanship can’t save it - that mango-smoothie-turned-prison-hooch end kinda ruins the pool party.

Fun, but not as fun as it thinks it is.