Why The Gong Face
Benchtop Brewing Company

From the pint can, it pours a hazy orange amber color with a large thick white head that reduces to a ring and leaves lacing. The nose gets lots of citrus, followed by the mouth getting a citrus forward pleasantly malty brew that leaves a light tangy citrus aftertaste.

Pours a light amber color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has tropical and citrus hints
Taste has a tropical and citrus flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good IIPA

Pours a bright pale orange, moderate head and heavy lacing. The scent is sweet, notes of candy. Upon the tongue, this is berry heavy. Blueberry is most prevalent. Citrus backdrop, but wild berry is the star. The feel could go wrong here, but doesn’t; pleasantly tart finish. Really enjoyed this

16oz can from Castle Liquors. Milky yellow pour with a small white, bubbly head. Light citrusy aroma. Taste brings soft, bready malts, light citrus and the kviek yeast does wonders mellowing this all out.

 

 

From the label on the can, in a white box: "12/23/20"

Appearance: The body is opaque and beige-gold colored. It has a medium-short fluffy white head with good sheets of lacing. Good retention.

Aroma: There are notes of peach and mango. with a bit of pineapple. Mango is the strongest aroma here.

Taste: Up front there is a mango flavor mixed with a light peach. There is a tart tangerine-orange character as it passes to the middle of the tongue; a bit like tang. There is some dried apricot flavor that pops in from time to time. A bit of grain character hangs out on the middle of the palate as the beer warms ever so slightly. It is a little bit grassy towards the end but it's only just enough to be noticeable.

Mouthfeel: Easy to drink, smooth, and the hop characters are mostly clean with the exception of a slight grassy character to the beer. Bitterness is very mellow.

Overall: The can states that this is a "Double India Pale Ale" and it certainly is a New England Double IPA in that respect. The hop characters are still fresh and tasting great, even though it is being consumed just over two months after the date on the can. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you get a chance to drink it fresher than previously mentioned. I would definitely drink it again.

Another candidate for a new "Imperial NE IPA" category. Picked up a pint can at the Casual Pint in Virginia Beach. Pours a dense, hazy straw yellow color with a good size frothy white head. Head retention is good and there are thick bands of frothy lacing on the glass. Aroma and flavor are NE IPA all the way!!! Moderately bitter, lots of grapefruit and tropical fruit flavoring and kind of a dankness that is characteristic of the style. The flavor is very good and the tropical fruit more than holds it 's own with the grapefruit. Mouthfeel is rich, moderately bitter and not too boozy for an Imperial beer. I have had a lot of NE style IPAs recently and this is one of the good ones!!!!!

 

 

 

 

EBF Last Saturday Dark hazy murky grapefruit juice in color with a thin head that dissipates quickly. Slightly earthy with bits of tropical fruits in the nose and flavor. Decent beer.

Full disclosure, I'm in VA near with my local being the well-known Three Notch'd. It's been interesting to see the Tidewater area throw down with solid IPAs from Commonwealth. Along comes Benchtop which I picked up at the recommendation of the bottle shop. Well-done, interesting foray here into my first taste of the Norwegian Kviek yeast which to me seems to give it a slightly drier body that I would have expected and less fruit-forward qualities to let the hops stand on their own. I get some mixed fruits including tropical notes and slight citrus, a bit of mineral or perhaps it's tannins, and a nice lingering taste afterwards. It's not quite as soft and creamy as other hazy chunky NEIPAs I've had from VA and NE, but it's dang good.

 

Pours a hazy, almost murky golden. Off white head. It's not exactly pretty. Not particularly aromatic. Smells like pledge. Not exactly pleasant. Regardless, it's super citrusy and soft. It has nice cascading minerality. Real interesting beer with some great complexity.

L: Had this beer on-tap at Growlers to Go - Short Pump, poured into a pint glass. Had a yellow color and a very cloudy consistency. There was a 3/4", foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Excellent lacing.

S: A very nice aroma of hops, citrus fruit, malt, and tropical fruit.

T: Tasted of a small amount of malt (mostly in the finish), a good amount of tropical fruit (mango, it would seem), a good amount of hops (not overdone), and lots of citrus fruit (tangerine). This is a very fruity, but not too sweet flavor. Somehow, they managed to strike a good balance between the hops and the fruit elements. Very tasty.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth, creamy finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A well done, likable DIPA. Drinkable.