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Homage Brewing

Straight pour from an undated, 16oz can to a tall, narrow pint (Green Cheek nucleated flute). This was canned about ten days ago, and purchased at the brewery the day of the release. So, y’know. Fresh.

Appearance (4.5): This pours out two good fingers of bone white, delicate foam capping a slightly hazy body that’s just on the orange side of 24ct gold. The head dies down at an average rate, leaving thick clumps on the surface of the beer and wide, frilly collars spaced fairly far apart, linked by thin legs of fragile lace.

Smell (4.25): Cara cara oranges, limeade, and macerated kumquat lead the way, cascading into your nose with a floral, gentle, sweet feel. Hints of passionfruit come out a bit, suggesting shades of sauvignon blanc, along with a very light minerality. Light suggestions of unfrosted sugar cookies and fresh pain de campagne complement the fruity, very floral hops. It’s wonderfully fragrant, and fairly aromatic, even if it’s not kicking the door to your smell box (is that a thing?).

Taste (4.5): Here, it’s light, taut, and agile, as opposed to the sweet, balanced, and delicate feel of the aroma. Bitterness is immediately apparent in good moderation, coming in right off the bat with a low-key but identifiably resinous feel, followed by a wave of soft, floral sweetness fleshed out by dumpling dough and sugar cookie crumbs, which in turn is quickly followed by a bright, bitter, just short of astringent wave of equal parts yellow grapefruit flesh, pulpy limeade, pine needles, and a subtle spice. No booze to be found, but the malt does contribute a very dry, light, but balanced toastiness. This definitely feels like a more neutral yeast strain—not quite Chico dry and clean, but certainly not London III/Whitbread/Conan or whatever brewers like to pitch these days. (I think, anyway!) Regardless, it does have a balanced, estery component, which takes a backseat to the hops.

Mouthfeel (5.0): Carbonation is unbelievably soft and lush without swamping your palate—it rushes in with a nice, pillowy bed that dutifully gives way to the perfectly medium-weight, filled out body that’s just dry enough on its own with its lightly toasted malt character, which itself is fairly lean but sturdy enough to be identified. The carb foams up nicely as it washes out easily, chased by drying hop oils that never parch or bite, but rather clean up shop to usher in the next sip. Like, c’mon man. This is crazy easy to drink.

Overall (4.5): Jeez Louise, they’ve done a wonderful job eliciting a balanced, tasteful array of hop characteristics here. Uhh … I kinda love this beer. Here’s the thing: I like old school American IPAs done tastefully with good hops, and I like new school NE IPAs done tastefully with fun, intriguing hops. This takes a hop variety that pretty much everyone can agree is killer—Mosaic—and pairs it with a beautifully constructed and fermented American IPA base with some moderately expressive (but not “Mad Scientist”-y) yeast. The result is an exceedingly drinkable, thoroughly satisfying, deeply nuanced beer that allows for subtlety as much as it does bombast. And THAT is my jam. Highly recommended.