Nevermind Vol. 5
Browar Maryensztadt

 

Pours a slightly cloudy, golden amber coloration with a medium, fluffy, stable head. Smells of biscuity malt and floral, herbal hops, with some citrus and pine coming through as well. Taste is good balance of biscuity, slightly caramelly malt and quite floral and herbal/earthy hops, with some citrus and lighter tropical notes of tangerine, lime peel and papaya also coming through, as well as a good dose of pine. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some herbal notes, citrus and pine lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium bodyand carbonation.

If the brewer didn't explicitely label this as a "New England" IPA, I would probably have rated it even higher, but while I personally quite like it for what it is, it has pretty much nothing in common with a NEIPA, completely lacking any kind of haze, juicyness and pillowy mouthfeel. Instead it's quite an earthy, bitter IPA that is very much dominated by a rather herbal character that is almost reminiscent of sage, with lighter floral accents and citrus notes also coming through, as well as some pine coming through in the aftertaste. This is not going to be for everyone, especially not if you're looking for a NEIPA, but it's a rather nice IPA in its own right, with an interesting herbal character.