Smile Lines
Eight & Sand Beer Co.

 

This one was poured off a tap into a clear pint glass. It's opaquely blonde with an enduring modest white head. It smells malt sweet with some vague hoppiness, rather typical for the style. The taste is OK, not bad, mediocre, average... Let's start with the malt, present and accounted for, but neither providing a nice contrast to the hops, nor making the body anything above average. The hops contribute better, as this is on the bitter side of the current trend in NEIPAs. They can be tasted from the beginning, then become sharply and dryly bitter at the finish. That is the best thing about this beer. OK, that part is significantly above average, but overall, this won't be missed if it is retired.

 

16oz can purchased from the fridge as a single for $4.49. Canned on 8/17/2020, so this is exactly 7 weeks old.

Look: Pale golden orange color. Moderately hazy. A nice, fluffy one-finger white head reduced to a thin ring that clings to the rim of the glass. Nice lacing.

Smell: An interesting mix of aromas. There's both a lot of spiciness and fruitiness in the nose. I get honeydew melon, honey, and floral perfumy notes. Secondary notes of mango, guava, papaya, pineapple, and peach. A bit of vinous white grape character as well as some peppery, vegetal (green bell pepper), and more subtle dank notes.

Taste: Quite tasty and refreshing. Pretty smooth also. There is a lot of sweetness up front and even on the finish, but it's not cloying by any means and there is enough bitterness on the finish for the sweetness to provide a balanced counterpart. Really no juiciness to this one. The finish has a bitterness that it not so intense, but it does linger long with mango skin and grapefruit pith. I also get a peppery green pepper pyrazine note in the finish, which is very interesting.

Feel: Nice soft mouthfeel with a crisper than average finish for a NEIPA.

Overall: While this beer fits the classification as a NEIPA, I would argue that it tastes more like a West Coast IPA with new school (mosaic) and European (Hallertau blanc, Huell melon) hops. It's nice that the brewers chose to use quite a different hop bill from what so many others are using. Instead of choosing to use citra, mosaic, galaxy, simcoe, etc., they used mosaic, Hallertau blanc, and Huell melon hops. And it's cool that the resulting beer is different and unique compared to just about any other beer that I have had before. This beer reminded me a bit of Foreign Objects - Hanging Garden. I wonder if the recipes are similar?

Head crests over a finger of just off-white foam, even surface, good retention, thick lacing streaks. The golden liquid is hazy but not close to opaque, few visible bubbles. Cracker, biscuit filled nose, green in a close to briny fashion, dry grapefruit pith, violets and mixed pit fruit, minor fruit presence. Medium-bodied, semi-dry, tends towards a creamy texture, minor carbonated prickle. Here too the crusty breadiness and sour white citrus dominate, some grassy kick but wouldn’t call it dank per se. Few lights notes of coal tar or resin. Apple, apricot, melon fruit flavors. Clean enough finish. Wish the fruit element was a bit more expressive, overall comes across as indecisive.