dHop42
Equilibrium Brewery

 

Appearance: Pours a nearly completely hazy (10% clarity) medium orange oclor with a strong white head. SRM of 7. (4.25)

Aroma: Strong aromas of orange, tangerine, sweet pineapple with a creamy mango underneath. Juicy. (4.50)

Flavor: Flavor follows the nose but milder. Moderate flavors of sweet orange and mango cream. Some pine lingers within, but completely obliterated by the sweet and juicy mango. Sweet and juicy.

Feel: Heavier-bodied. Moderate carbonation. A sweet juice lingers.

Compared to phase 3 DDH Far From The Tree 8/18/22: Pours a darker appearance. Stronger aromas. More mango cream. Less pineapple and citrus juice.

Compared to Equillibrium Data Points 10/2022: Pours darker, clearer. More mango flesh and intense mango notes. Less tropical pineapple and melon. Similar sweetness.

Overall: One heck of an IPA here. It's as if Equilibrium took their mango cream recipe and began experimenting with it. It's big at 8.5%. Sweet and heavy no doubt. Better on the aroma, but maintains the flavor. Big, bold, juicy, sweet. Usually bigger than I prefer, but a good review from me here. (Rating: 4.29)

Looks like too much wheat and/or oats in the wort, here. It's the big foamy stark white head, one that keeps expanding long after the pour has ceased, that gives it away. Beer really should not pour from a pint can and appear like this in a clear glass liter mug. The standard form of a head like this is for it to recede unevenly and leave almost no glass lacing. The brew itself is a murky orange-amber. That may not look horrible, but the head does. Why this emphasis? Because an over wheated IPA suffers by it. Although it will bring some bready sweetness to the taste, it will be far less complex than what barley malt provides. The hops are generally muddled and the mouthfeel suffers. But, let's find out. Well, the head receded a little more evenly than expected, but there was no appreciable lacing. Somehow, parts of the white foam picked up some of the coloring of the ale. Regardless, it's ugly. The aroma is mostly of hops, vaguely sharp. The taste is acceptable, with a pleasant sharp hop bite during the finish. But it begins a little too starchy sweet and without much depth. The hops mitigate that, as they're the last part you remember. Finding something to reference to describe the hop flavor isn't easy. Maybe its like a very sharp and aged cheese. That's the high watermark, the finish. The mouthfeel is not quite average for the style. The ABV isn't exactly hard to detect, but it's not a major detriment. Far above any other measures, the hop experience saves this from being a major disappointment.

16oz can. Poured out a cloudy, golden orange color with a small, off-white head of bubbly foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of orange, fresh peaches, pineapple, caramel sweetness and some resin. Sweet tropical fruit taste with a sharp, piney bitterness and caramel malt backbone.