Purity
Homage Brewing

Straight pour from a 32oz crowler to a flared pilsner glass—AZ Wilderness’ Wilderpils glass. This was filled yesterday at the brewery. Fourth Brut IPA I’ve had, I believe, but first I’ve had the opportunity to review. Woohoo!

Appearance (4.25): This pours a good finger of fluffy, bone white foam capping a crystal clear, light straw-colored body. As the drink goes on, it leaves a thin, surprisingly wide and broad collar, as well as a series of leggy splotches around the glass. It looks, quite frankly, like a clean and crisp lager. An American Light Lager, dare I say it, but with much better lacing and retention.

Smell (4.25): The nose is populated by a bouquet of bright Cara Cara, ripe Alphonso mango, light resinous/dank tones, and a clean minerality that clings to a translucent cracker/crusty boule kind of malt/grain presence. The bone-dry amylase-driven fermentation is crisp and clear here in the nose, more in what it leaves out than what it contributes (I’m guessing the minerality). But that Citra really shines through (not surprisingly).

Taste (4.25): Oof, this is so clean and bright, but fairly soft at the same time. Homage, like with all of their hoppy beers that I’ve had thus far, maintains a nice balance between hop bitterness and flavor—it’s got plenty of, but is not busting at the seams with juicy hop flavor, with a good but never aggressive dose of clean bitterness. Never bitter enough to sacrifice juiciness. It leads with a soft, mango/navel orange sweetness, quickly followed by a nicely grassy, slightly resinous bitterness. The minerality noted in the nose kind of anchors the hop character, tied equally to the hop flavor and bitterness, acting as a nice anchor to the malt/grain body. That body, by the way, is so lean and crisp in character, clearly offering some sort of structure for the hops to do their thing but seeming more like a ghost than anything. Soft, crackery notes and baking soda biscuit crusts fade into a gentle mineral character that’s never as structured as, say, pinot grigio. It resembles more of a Czech pilsner, but softer. No sign of booze whatsoever.

Mouthfeel (5.0): Again, this beer is so lean and bright, even in the feel. It’s fucking crushable. The body is light, and the hops are noticeable but leaves only a soft dryness—but at the same time it leaves no real feeling of viscosity despite being fluffy. It offers just a light, drying feel that never comes close to parching, matching the levity of the body beautifully. The carbonation, meanwhile, is moderate and fine-grained, sweeping in with a gentle foam that offers a cushy bed for the body and hop oils. Quickly, the carbonation offers a soft tingle and foams up just a bit more, allowing the hop flavors to open up and transition into a soft, minerally finish.

Overall (4.25): Truly, the “Brut” in this beer is immediately, crystal clear on the palate and in the appearance. To me, this exemplifies the concept behind Brut IPAs. Among others I’ve had, one was aggressively dry, another was delicious but half-NE IPA in my mind, and another was dominated by barrel fermentation. This beer occupies a nice, happy middle ground: lean and crisp but also soft and juicy, showcasing Citra hops without bashing your head in with them. I’d be curious to try this same base beer but with NZ hops and more assertive dry-hopping, but I really love what I’m drinking here. Highly recommended, but don’t come into it hoping to drink hop water. Think crushable IPL with softer minerality.