Breaking Enigma
Equilibrium Brewery
- From:
- Equilibrium Brewery
- New York, United States
- Style:
- Hazy Imperial IPA
Ranked #1,216 - ABV:
- 8.5%
- Score:
- 92
Ranked #5,082 - Avg:
- 4.21 | pDev: 6.18%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 7
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 14, 2025
- Added:
- May 31, 2019
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
92
Outstanding
92
Outstanding
Cracking the very cryptic Enigma Code was an important moment in world history. Here, we try to do the same on a brewery level with a hop some refer to as the chameleon hop, Enigma. Using different methods during the dry hop we work to pull out unique flavors you may not find using standard techniques.
Breaking Enigma uses wheat and oats as a grain base and is then heavily hopped with Enigma and a touch of Citra for balance. This beer pours bright yellow and has aroma of tropical fruit, berry and stone fruit. Upon tasting, we get assorted berries, tropical fruit, citrus, and a touch of Pinot Gris. The beer is resinous with a great blend of #EQjuice and dank earth at finish.
Breaking Enigma uses wheat and oats as a grain base and is then heavily hopped with Enigma and a touch of Citra for balance. This beer pours bright yellow and has aroma of tropical fruit, berry and stone fruit. Upon tasting, we get assorted berries, tropical fruit, citrus, and a touch of Pinot Gris. The beer is resinous with a great blend of #EQjuice and dank earth at finish.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by whitro17 from Florida
4.13/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.13/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Look: hazy, straw, cream/fluffy head, good lacing
Smell: spice, pineapple
Taste: pineapple, spice, orange, grapefruit, apricot, papaya, white wine
Feel: med plus body, lower carbo, dry
Overall: 8.5% - Nice looking hazy brew that smells good and tastes good. Love the apricot and papaya notes but the white wine was killing it for me. Not in the worst way, just not a flavor that appeals to me. Still it’s a good quality brew that I would have no trouble drinking again. Paired with this great tune that saved the session. If 6 Was 9 by Jimi Hendrix. How’s that for an Enigma?
Dec 14, 2025Smell: spice, pineapple
Taste: pineapple, spice, orange, grapefruit, apricot, papaya, white wine
Feel: med plus body, lower carbo, dry
Overall: 8.5% - Nice looking hazy brew that smells good and tastes good. Love the apricot and papaya notes but the white wine was killing it for me. Not in the worst way, just not a flavor that appeals to me. Still it’s a good quality brew that I would have no trouble drinking again. Paired with this great tune that saved the session. If 6 Was 9 by Jimi Hendrix. How’s that for an Enigma?
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington
3.27/5 rDev -22.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.27/5 rDev -22.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Massive and sticky head on top of a small pool of cloudy beer in the tall nonic. The foam tastes pretty good. Fruity aroma and really fruity taste. Sweet and hot with alcohol. Orange peel, lemon, and finishes with strawberry jam. Some astringency in place of bitterness. and a moderate acidity that increases with each sip. This is not my ideal sort of big hoppy brew, but it is at least drinkable for a few sips. From the 16 oz can purchased on the left coast. No date, and I know I've had it a few months, but I find some of these hazies are mellowed by the passage of time.
Oct 19, 2023
Reviewed by Billolick from New York
4.35/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
5/4/23 dated tall can. Comes with new graphics on the label this time around.
Full on EQ NEIPA quality and fully hazed n juiced pour. Supports a long lasting, solid and quite huge cap. Slowly lessens in height and then provides a super creamy and smooth first sip.
Tropical fruit infused sniff, with perfumed and candied pineapple coming to mind.
Delicious, well rounded and super smooth in the mouth.
Luxurious notes of more pineapple, ripe mango, assorted stone fruits...might fine example of the style...go get some of this nectar.
Jun 22, 2023Full on EQ NEIPA quality and fully hazed n juiced pour. Supports a long lasting, solid and quite huge cap. Slowly lessens in height and then provides a super creamy and smooth first sip.
Tropical fruit infused sniff, with perfumed and candied pineapple coming to mind.
Delicious, well rounded and super smooth in the mouth.
Luxurious notes of more pineapple, ripe mango, assorted stone fruits...might fine example of the style...go get some of this nectar.
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky
4.31/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.31/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Built with the uniqueness of the Enigma hop variety, Equilibrium juices up another imperial hazy IPA that celebrates the wondrous, winey and whimsically fruity hop in a way that only they can.
With a pastel golden taupe pour, the turbid Breaking Enigma releases a creamy bone-white froth while teasing the senses with a radiant perfume of tropical, citrus, pitted orchard fruit and a peppery vinous scent of white wine all wrapped in an herbal, spicy and slightly pungent scent. A general cereal sweetness coats the tongue with a soothing maltiness that's suggestive of shortcake, honeysuckle and light cream.
But any malty lead is short lived as the Enigma and hint of Citra hops pile on the middle palate. Rife with Valencia oranges, pink grapefruit and lemon bring a branch-ripe citrus flavor to the forefront, a more exotic tropical taste brings papaya, passionfruit and pineapple. With a deeper and earthier taste of peach and apricot, the fruit display is nearly complete. A late bitterness is sharper than usual for such EQjuice, a peppery hop bite brings impressions of sangria, hemp and green tea.
Medium bodied and trending on the drier side of malty-dry, the hop resins and imperial strength alcohol help to dry the beer to a refreshing but still smooth mouthfeel. The botanical nature of gin brings a medium long aftertaste of vinous spice, peppery hops and muddled fruit peels.
Apr 22, 2021With a pastel golden taupe pour, the turbid Breaking Enigma releases a creamy bone-white froth while teasing the senses with a radiant perfume of tropical, citrus, pitted orchard fruit and a peppery vinous scent of white wine all wrapped in an herbal, spicy and slightly pungent scent. A general cereal sweetness coats the tongue with a soothing maltiness that's suggestive of shortcake, honeysuckle and light cream.
But any malty lead is short lived as the Enigma and hint of Citra hops pile on the middle palate. Rife with Valencia oranges, pink grapefruit and lemon bring a branch-ripe citrus flavor to the forefront, a more exotic tropical taste brings papaya, passionfruit and pineapple. With a deeper and earthier taste of peach and apricot, the fruit display is nearly complete. A late bitterness is sharper than usual for such EQjuice, a peppery hop bite brings impressions of sangria, hemp and green tea.
Medium bodied and trending on the drier side of malty-dry, the hop resins and imperial strength alcohol help to dry the beer to a refreshing but still smooth mouthfeel. The botanical nature of gin brings a medium long aftertaste of vinous spice, peppery hops and muddled fruit peels.
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