Milkshaking It
Icarus Brewing Company

 

OUT FRICKING STANDING !!
Beautiful pour creates a rich tasty brew that goes down too easy -
$22 a 4 pack- 16 Oz , but a nice treat if your only drinking one or two -

HIGHLY RECOMMEND !!

Pours an opaque muddy orange, brief 1" head with little retention or lacing. Nose is orange juice and vanilla - essentially a creamsicle - with some musky, piney hop notes further back as it warms. Taste starts off little green before getting reined back by some rather strong notes oily melted creamsicle, fake vanilla, pineapple juice. Finish is persistent with artificial vanilla and cream. Mouthfeel isn't as soft as expected given the heavy "oating" this beer has, though the alcohol his pretty well buried. Admittedly this is not my favorite style, but there are too many artificial notes screaming out of this beer despite the fact they're using real vanilla beans.

 

Picked this up recently at ShopRite Liquors in Little Falls as I was surprised to find this available via a single can. Love my Icarus beers but I never had a Milkshake brew from them before and this was on par with the better examples from Tired Hands or 450 North that I've been lucky enough to have over the years. It didn't quite look the part but boy, was this smooth as it was hard to keep in my pint glass once it fully warmed up!

This had a honey golden hue to it as the edges were quite a bit lighter than the middle. Tons of thin, webbed head topped this off as it's settling sped up after holding it's own for a while. Very, very little lacing was left behind as there were just a few dots of suds to be seen along the top half of my pint glass. Strawberry patch, guava, vanilla, lactose, and cream were in the nose as the sweetness kicked in during the taste, but never felt overly strong or artificial. Some pineapple, sweet malt, and booze emerged in the back half as the hops balanced each other out quite nicely. A bit of dank tangerine and deep forest were in the aftertaste as the lighter and more creamier notes gave way to a heavier, but enjoyable aftertaste that easily left me wanting for more.

Sure, there was enough heft in this but the lively carbonation, balanced body, and orange juice slickness were easily more than enough to counter that as this was nearly the epitome of what a Milkshake IPA should be. Indeed, something like this would make the case that they should be placed into a category of their own on here. Canned on Saint Patrick's Day with "WE'RE ALL JUST DRUNK PIRATES" written above it, I loved this beer as it was just fine on it's own or for a nightcap after dinner. Even with a bit of sediment at the bottom of the can, I have to give Icarus props for effortlessly nailing this style!

 

A: pours hazy, straw yellow body with a white head with decent retention and lacing.
S: sweet smelling beer with floral and juicy hop notes; hints of citrus
T: sweet, vanilla notes with hints of juicy, floral hops on the back of the tongue; sweet alcohol notes evident. Tastes similar to a vanilla milkshake.
M: full bodied and very smooth
O: well balanced beer; the sweet does well to compliments the hops. Complex, but very well done.

 

I admit, Icarus is mighty popular but I’ve always been meh about most of their beers. However this is insanely delicious, and I’d love to see this made with a touch of strawberry, truly milkshakey!

 

 

 

**
11/17/2019

Can to tulip glass. 4th of the 4-pack. Saved the rating for the last in case I differed, but this has been solid through all 4.

LOOK: pulpy thick darker yellow, very little light comes through, healthy foamy eggshell head, excellent retention.
AROMA: tropical fruit. guava, pineapple, passion fruit, very aromatic.
TASTE: pineapple, grapefruit, guava, grass, ginger ale.
FEEL: wonderfully smooth, medium body, super drinkable, medium tingly small bubble carbonation pulls up the back. Carbonation late and pulpy fruit flavors give this almost the feel of an OJ strong mimosa.

Very nice offering from Icarus. One of the best (if not, the best) I've had from them,

**