Ultra Wires
Wild Mind Ales

On tap. White head with lace. Clear orange gold color.

Dank. Pine and resin. Floral hops. A little Midwest malt. Nice west coast hops though. Sticky, resiny finish. Good bitterness.

All clouded up. Because everything has to be that way now, no matter what. Bright golden hue, large, attractive ivory head.

In the nose: Powerful citrus and pine, with a dose of cat pee on the side. Actually, it's running down your leg. Don't mind that, just a joke. White wine splashes, as well. (Seriously, this time.) (Although, I was serious about the feline emissions.)

In the mouth: Pow! Great big bite of bitterness, fierce hop attack, bursting with orange and grapefruit, lemon and pine. Delicious! Love it! Medium bodied, easy drunk. Bursts with flavor, then turns dry in the end. Wonderfully bitter hop flavors from the usual gang of suspects. Long, lingering, hoppy, bitter finish. Lovely.

I broke my vow against the $20 4-pack for this. I'd been whining about why Wild Mind hasn't put anything out in the market, and how if they would, then I would support it, when lo, and behold, there these (and others) were on the shelf, and I saw the price tag, and say to myself, Shit, well, am I going to be a liar, or a sucker, but surely not both.

 

 

 

Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a one pint can on August 9, 2020.

 

 

In addition to labeling this as a WCIPA on the can, the brewer label says it is brewed with Cascade, Amarillo, and Centennial hops. I do appreciate the detail (even though I have to spin the can and put on my readers to find this information.)

One-half inch thick and creamy slightly off-white head that sticks around for the first several minutes, leaving spotty lacing. The beer itself is quite murky, beyond mere unfiltered and into turbid territory, with a burnt orange color typical of many NEIPAs. The looks are deceptive, however. This ain't no NEIPA.

The aroma is moderate (strong enough), with elements of citrus, pine, and sweetish pineapple.

Taste is bitter right away, but not overpoweringly so. Hops flavors of citrus, pine, and grapefruit with a balancing malt, slightly sweet but not enough to push the overall that way; just provides a tasty balance to the hops. The citrus flavors persist throughout, with the finish and aftertaste becoming increasingly bitter, with a bit of pine, as a WCIPA should finish.

Mouth feel has a somewhat on the substantial side body with the bitterness giving the feel a nice edge.

Overall, a WCIPA substyle beer with a murky look. Tasty, bitter, and enjoyable if you like this style. As I said above, don't let the appearance deceive you. This beer is a well-executed example of the WC substyle, as self-declared by the brewer.

$3.99 USD plus tax for a 16 fl oz pull-tab can at a beer store in New Orleans, LA.

"West Coast IPA hopped with Cascade, Amarillo and Centennial." 7.8% ABV.

Citrusy, which I wouldn't have pegged as its dominant flavour coming in given the hop varietals utilized. Not resinous from amarillo, not piney from Centennial, not floral from Cascade/SuperCascade...how did they frankenstein the dominant citrus into it?

Balanced and enjoyable with a tolerably bitter finish. A very likable very drinkable IPA that doesn't dazzle and ain't worth $4+ a can, but I'll be damned if I won't enjoy polishing it off.

B- / WORTHY

One month old can poured into a tulip.

As a dry and bitter hazy IPA, this is quite lovely. But as a West Coast IPA, it's lacking meaningfully. It categorizes itself as the latter, but it's clearly intended to be a mix of the two. So how should it be graded? I'm going to attempt to thread the needle and grade it as a hybrid of the two.

Beautiful light orange-gold body, totally opaque with medium haze, zero murk or turbidity. Ultra-bright white head of tight latte bubbles. Head collapses to a tight film pretty quickly, but nice streaks of lacing present themselves down the glass. A few swirls of the glass reproduces a full finger of wonderful, scoopable foam. Fantastic looking beer.

Remarkable combination of citrus and stone fruit plus a huge peppery note up front. The fruit elements are actually a little muted, but the pepper is pronounced. Definitely not what I was expecting, and out of line with both the NE and WC categories, but fascinating nonetheless. Unfortuantely there isn't much else going on. A little doughy bread, somewhat grassy, some green pepper (which blends in and out of the strong cracked pepper persona), a little yeast, and a faint note of pine resin. Really interesting aroma profile (at least up front), but not a lot going on, and very little that directly ties it to either IPA category.

Unfortunately the taste profile follows suit and lacks any really standout notes. Flat and middling citrus fruit, nondescript tropical fruit, dank grass, bitter grapefruit rind, a little resin, more green pepper (not something I'm really looking for), and a touch of that same black peppery aspect, just not very pronounced. Tastes watery and undecided in terms of what it's trying to be.

Wonderfully soft and smooth feel, with a pithy, bitter aftertaste that coats the tongue and teeth. Easy drinking at 7.8%, and nicely carbonated.

Surprisingly hazy and almost pulpy; nearly opaque, allowing only large silhouettes to penetrate the orange/mango-flesh colored body. Head production is good, retention is OK, and lacing is nice.

Nose is fairly hop-forward, with a bit of caramel malt below. Leans citrus, with mild dankness, and a bit of tropical and bright herbal notes adding depth and complexity.

Hops carry the way on the palate, but they're not oppressive, allowing some pale dough and caramel grains some time in the spotlight - not too much time, though. Light notes of melon, grapefruit peel and pith. Citrus-driven hop profile.

Very crisp and lively; moderate to high bitterness; semi-dry finish.