Benevolent Overlord
Moonraker Brewing Co.

I kind of like a girl that brings it from square one, ya know? Like, if I pick her up on a first date, and she’s in a CK pencil skirt... yeah, it’s on. But when I poured this beer, I didn’t really get pencil skirt. What I think I got was overalls. I mean, it’s just a nasty light red/copper almost like some over ripe apple juice. Not a fan! I get zero in the aroma, so I’ll take that other than something foul like Pete Sampras’ jock after a tennis match. Taste damn knocked me sideways at first. I kind of choked, but then I gathered myself like that one time I was in court and pulled myself together. “Ok, compose yourself, Raul. You got this...” And get it I did! Not only was I exonerated of all charges, on the second sip I think I am ok with this. It’s not a favorite, but it’s palatable.

So, yeah - big ups to the main man Roguer for calling this beer what it is: “Thicky, sticky, and icky.” Which it kind of is, and which threw Raul off at first. But like the girl in the kissing booth at the county fair in your hometown that you swear you’ll never return to - it ain’t that bad. It’s pretty smooth for being so big, and it definitely has some flavors that I am not used to - apple, bubble, a weird malt...

Yeah, I dunno. I’m glad I hung in there and will finish it. But it’s a weird one that I won’t want to try ever again.

L: couple fingers of head and some moderate lacing. Beautiful amber color and very clear.
S: orange peel, honey, small amount of pine and bubblegum (odd but I definitely get it). Malt seems very present but subdued, feels like a complex beer to come.
T: follows the nose with the bubblegum and honey. Also get some alcholol but more like a DIPA, hides the high alcohol very well. I absolutely love the malt, very present but subdued.
F: I would not be able to tell this is a TIPA if it wasn't labeled, same with it being 100 IBU. I also get a very dry and carbonated finish. That said the feel is tremendous for this beer.
O: The most complex TIPA I have ever had. Great malt without being overpowering. Notes I did not expect and the alcohol was hidden but definitely present. A phenomenal beer from Moonraker and not surprised they could pull this off.

Canned 10/21/19, consumed 11/21/19
10.0% ABV

Pours crystal clear amber gold with a small head, low retention & spotty lacing. Very floral with some complementary fruit notes, resinous with solid intensity. Taste follows, a bit less defined while brining out the malt. Feel is probably the best part, smooth with body & bitterness more like an easy DIPA. Overall, very solid triple WCIPA.

 

 

 

 

Another light amber, golden honey colored liquid, heavier viscosity than most beers in this SRM. Thin 1/5" white head. Aroma smacks hard, here comes the Citra and the Galaxy hops, fire up the tangerine and pineapple. Alcohol is absent in the nose, we're off to a good start.

Taste, wow, pops nice like a dry west coast Simcoe hopped triple ipa should, while it might be a little more viscous than a pale ale, it isn't massively different. Plenty of those bitter pine notes, pineapple, dry toast malt bill. Nothing real caramel-esque about it. This one goes all in with the pine/apple flavors and firm bitterness. Never did it taste hot, it went down quick too, has that scary crushability factor going for it.

I think I enjoyed Extremis a tiny bit more, but still, I wouldn't ever hesitate to pick up a 4 pack of this given the opportunity. Its pretty rad stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An absolutely crystal clear, perfectly transparent brew. Quite lively, with a modest head with just OK retention. Brew is apple cider yellow in color, and pale lemon yellow when held up to the light.

Aroma is a blend of thick pale malt character, booze, and hops. Mostly stone fruit and tropical fruit on the nose, along with a slightly dank edge. Overall, the nose is fairly restrained. Closer inspection yields very green notes reminiscent of pine, cedar, wildflowers, and grass.

Flavor is fairly similar to most TIPAs: thick hop syrup with a boozy presence. I think it can be summed up as: thicky, sticky, icky. It is like sucking the nectar from a flower while simultaneously drinking concentrated pine juice. Somehow, that actually tastes good. Decent amount of pineapple and passion fruit, along with strawberries, blueberries, and perhaps lemon, the more I dig into this brew.

While, at 10.5%, this is far boozier than a smooth RIS, it isn't a lasting heat; the backend of this is easily as smooth as any DIPA. Surprisingly lively for the thick, syrupy feel, carrying the aggravated bite of a pilsner.

A top 3 TIPA? Quite possibly. Well worth checking out for any hophead.

For a TIPA, it's awesome

Can dated Bow Down 9-15 into a tulip.

L: Bright golden with 1+ finger of variable density white head that had limited retention and left spotted lacing.

S: Floral forward, some malt sweetness, and piney resinous in tow. Perhaps just the slightest cracker/peppery undertones.

T: Follows the nose very well. Finishes with plenty of bitterness that lingers a bit.

F: Thinner bodied, lower carbonation, some burn from the ABV.

O: A damn solid big TIPA, but more floral than pine forward.