Simcoe Strata Double Crush
Moonraker Brewing Co.

 

Can poured into a Russian River Brewing Co pub glass

A: Pours hazy golden amber with a frothy eggshell head that hangs around and slowly settles to a firm layer that leaves some thick lacing.

S: Initial hit is a mix of tropical, stone fruit, and berries, baked up with some pine and citrus, and held together with biscuity malt and a little caramel sweetness.

T: Uniquely fruity, strawberry jam, passion fruit, mango, apricot, peach and guava, citrus, grapefruit, and orange, nice hit of spicy pine, biscuity malt, and caramel sweetness.

M: A bit towards the fuller side of medium body, moderate carbonation, somewhat soft on the palate.

O: My can is about a month and a half old so that might explain why I'm getting a little more of the fruity side compared to previous reviews. They pulled some really cool stuff out of 2 great hops. Really nice beer with a kinda uniqueness to it.

L: pours a great mix of yellow and orange. Excellent foamy head that lasts a decent amount with great lacing.
S: notes of guava, small amounts of pine, pretty tame on the citrus, and definite lychee and tropical fruits come through.
T: citrus comes through more on the taste while the pine stays very mild. Taste is very good but nothing shines through, feels a little melded together.
F: feel is lighter for me with solid carbonation and great dryness on the finish.
O: although I'm not a raving fan of this beer, I'm still a raving fan of Moonraker. This beer while lower on my ratings stands head and shoulders above other beers in its category, in my own opinion. To me this shows that a great brewery can "miss" on some beers but they still come out as well above average beers.

Pours a color and appearance similar to a screwdriver (orange juice + vodka). Not the tightest bubbled head but it did get up to about 4/9". Hits with the pine, lemon and citrus notes in the nose.

Taste is good but doesn't set it apart from the other 60something hoppy offerings they have. Firm bitterness from the Simcoe hop keeps this moving along like a west coast ipa even though it doesn't look like it. Little stone fruit hints beyond that. Mouthfeel is easy, they don't make anything that seems to have a heavier malt base in the dipa realm, its all real light mouth feel stuff that hides the alcohol so well that it could be a detriment if you weren't to give the 4 pack its due respect.

Its another winner for Moonraker that is enjoyable to drink, but it doesn't really separate itself from the pack either.

Simcoe Double Strata pours a cloudy and hazy light yellow orange with a soft, full and creamy eggshell colored head. The smell is citrus with orange and lemon with some pine and a slight floral note. The taste is smooth and quite creamy over the palette with a big fruit characteristic; orange, grapefruit, some nectarine and guava, a hint of hops and bubblegum sweetness.

A malty, lemony opening with a thin finish of pine and dank. Also a hint of grapefruit (more pith than meat) and seems lacking in depth/complexity as it was hard for me to isolate any of the flavors that others have mentioned.

 

 

No canned date

Appearance - Pours hazy and mellow orange in color with a white, near two-finger width head. Great retention before settling to a thin, consistent layer of suds. Good lacing, with some solid sheeting, lines and small spotting.

Smell - Mildly tropical and yeasty.

Taste - An array of mild flavors here; hints of orange, passionfruit, lychee, guava, floral qualities, spice and pine, pineapple and faint cantaloupe. Fruity, slightly leafy/minty finish.

Mouthfeel - On the heavier side of medium-bodied with fair carbonation. Smooth, creamy texture with a really nice, easy finish.

Overall - Man, this is a fantastic beer. Creamy and, while mild, that depth and array of flavor keeps your attention.

Undated can; drank 8/6/19 @ the Carriage Inn.

Opaque dull orange appearance.

Nice eggshell head; strong, frothy lace.

Orange citrus, dry wheat & mild lemon notes in the nose.

Medium thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Honey, orange peel & wheat flavors up front; faint booze heat notes on the finish.

A bit too sweet & boozy, but overall enjoyable.

 

Full golden to orange hued haze, opaque like puree but lots of tiny bubble streams. Modest cream white head, even surface, lacing streaks nice and long. Soft, expansive nose of pulped oranges, pine tar, charcoal and then a pleasing floral lift, the apricot, mango fruit scents more ripe than bitingly tropical. Full-bodied, creamy and not that dry until the finish. Not finding it that dank, more like black tea leaf, tar and damp forest underbrush. Citrus takes on more cut with white grapefruit in the lead. Same softness in the fruit here, apricot, peach, nectarine to a smidge of pineapple. Carbonation keeps the texture creamy throughout, allowing for a tingly echo after you swallow. No noticeable alcoholic burn. Quite “crushable” and as advertised. Could easily throw back a few even with the higher ABV.

Sweet tropical hoppy nose...subdued. The taste follows, but with a thin finish for a dipa, unfortunately. I was expecting more in depth and feel...took away from finish a bit.

Canned 7/25/19, consumed 8/3/19

Pours hazy & cloudy yellow/light orange, nice head with good retention and tons of thick lacing. This is a nice complementary hop combo which leans slightly more to the dank herbal/weedy side than fruity. Good, smooth, lighter bodied feel for a double - typical of Moonraker. The more of these I drink, the better they seem to get. Overall, another winner.