Lil Sampson
Mirror Twin Brewing

Part beer, part dessert, the embrace of summer flavor is not lost on Mirror Twin Brewing Company. Generously dousing their New England-styled IPA in key lime, lactose, vanilla and graham cracker flavor gives this pale ale a succulent, tangy and bright new life.

Pouring a pale lemon appearance, the firmly hazy Lil Sampson crowns with a creamy white cap before teasing the senses with that tangy green citrus fruit. Hints of cream, toasted sweetnesss and a light herbal embrace seduces the nose quite effortlessly. The gentle sweetness of cereal and pastry leans heavily on graham cracker character with a vanilla cream roundness.

With the malt sweetness relaxing slowly, the supportive sweetness helps to elevate the lime and then the hop complement of citrus, passionfruit, yuzu, white grapefruit and gooseberry a plump, tangy, racy and totally succulent balance. Trending herbal with lemon verbena, lemongrass, green tea and fresh sassafras, the bitterness is moderate on the late palate and offsets the creamy sweetness and graham cracker maltiness quite well.

Medium bodied and finishing moderately bitter, tangy, juicy and lightly sweet, the taste of key lime pie it quite evident. At times wanting this beer to be a sour ale, then at times appreciating the bitterness allows for a sense of complexity that lingers into a medium length after tow.