All Hops On Deck
Moonraker Brewing Co.

Taster at brewery. Bright, clear golden, small ring of white head. Aroma is floral and piney. Taste opens with a hint of sweetness before being obliterated by the hops. Malts in there too, but mostly piney, floral hoppiness.

 

Can poured into a Mountain Rambler Brewing Co pint glass

A: Pours golden amber with a frothy eggshell white head that settles to a thin layer and laces nicely.

S: Citrus, herbal notes, tropical fruit, a hint of melon, biscuity bready malt, and caramel honey sweetness.

T: Resinous pine, citrus, orange, grapefruit, and lemon lime, tropical fruit, guava, passion fruit, papaya, peach, and melon, dank herbal notes, biscuity bready malt, and caramel honey sweetness, with a faint hint of alcohol.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation.

O: Solid double IPA, but nothing special, especially by Moonraker standards. Wouldn't mind it a little drier.

@TheSixthRing review nails it with flavor/aroma notes. I agree with all of this points, except mouthfeel. I find the mouthfeel quite nice; not thick and syrupy or thin and boozy. I think it's actually the "star" of the beer. For a DIPA of 8.5%...the bitterness is pleasant on the palate. I personally wish it was a little higher, but what it brings is excellent.

Overall: Fresh, pleasant, wonderful DIPA.

Canned 10/19/18

Appearance - Pours crystal clear and bright gold in color with a white, near finger width head. Fair retention before dissipating to a thin, broken layer of suds with a thin ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell - Candied orange, lesser dank, hints of toasted malts and caramel.

Taste - Follows the nose. Nice balance of deep orange and caramel notes, with lesser grapefruit and dank pine. Latter flavors become more prominent as the brew warms. Hint of toasted malt. Finish is a nice combination of mild citrus sweetness and earthy pine.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied with fair carbonation. Slick on the tongue upfront. Goes down easy enough with a dry, slightly boozy finish.

Overall - Love that orange/caramel combo, and this one shows that off beautifully with a complementary array of flavors backing it. Mmmm.

Canned on 10/19/18.
L: Golden amber in color. Completely transparent. Been a while since I can see through the other side of the glass it seems. About a fingers width of a dense white cap that retained quite nicely. As I drink the beer, a nice soapy coat of foam clings to the glass, and I am a huge fan of that.
S: First thing I pick out is the lemon/grapefruit aromas. Shortly after, I am wafted with pungent notes of resiny pine that lets me know this is a bold WCIPA. Slighty bready malt presence in the background. Citrus and pine dominant the aroma, I just wish it was a little more pronounced.
T: So freaking citrusy. Has that pithy citrus flavor meshed with pine. The pine flavor lingers in the after taste. Malt backbone also present on the flavor, but it blends perfectly with the afore mentioned flavors. As I drink it more, I can detect the booze subtly but it isn't boozy. Appears to have more of a malty flavor as I continue drinking it. The flavor is semi dry and bitter on the finish with lingering notes of pine and lemon.
F: Medium bodied and weight. Has a really nice feel for the style. Carbonation is moderate to high. You definitely notice the fizzing properties from the carbonation but it isn't overly done.
O: A highly enjoyable brew. I would have no problem drinking this again. It has nice flavor and great feel. I am very grateful to have tried. Cheers!

Canned 10/19/18, consumed 11/26/18

L: Poured clear golden amber with a nice inch head that left a good amount of spotty lacing.

S: Bright, tropical/citrus fruity nose, complementary background piney hop notes as well.

T: Hmm, really not what you'd expect and not really like the aroma, more of a nice but general citrus/piney DIPA taste.

F: Solid medium-heavy of your typical WCIPA, good carbonation, and solid & slightly lingering bitterness.

O: Very nice WCIPA. Not on the level of Pliny or Revision's DIPA, but probably compares favorably to most all of the other West Coast imperial IPAs.

The beer comes in classic deep amber color and is completely clear. A semi-aggressive pour generates a finger of frothy off-white head. The head dissipates slowly and leaves beautiful strips of lacing all over the glass. Smell is first-of-all pine, which is surprising, given that Mosaic is the dominant hop. There are some citrusy notes as well. Taste is more citrusy upfront, though pine is also present. A solid malt backbone compliments the hop profile. Both the taste and the smell are Pliny-like, but Pliny has a tad more oomph. The feel is traditional for West Coast DIPAs, with body slightly-above-average body (that isn't either too dry or too wet) and medium carbonation. Although this beer clocks in at 8.5% ABV, no alcohol is apparent on either the smell or the taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nose is crazy sweet, lots of pineapple. Taste was disappointing, plenty of booze on the finish. Lots of astringency that lingers on the finish. Mouthfeel somewhat thin, carbonation high. Probably the most disappointing beer I've had from them for my palate, won't repeat.