Penny Candy
Brewery ARS

This doesn't start off well. The pint can was cracked open and albeit, at room temperature, foam poured up and over the can's brim. Then it was a foamy pour to empty the can's contents into a clear glass liter mug. More stark white foam, way more than any IPA should produce, even a hazy one at room temperature. Of this, history tells the story of too much wheat and/or oats substituting for a decent amount of barley in the wort. The foam recedes quickly and unattractively. The color of the liquid is dull apricot-amber and it's close to murky. In short, this isn't a pretty beer. The aroma is not pronounced, only marginal references of citrus and resins can be found beyond a cereal grain starchiness. It tastes better than it looks and smells, but not greatly so. There is a nice reference of citrus and a transition to resinously hoppy, but it's mild. There's only a little bite to the finish, likely thanks to the Simcoe hops. As there are plenty of oats within this concoction, the mouthfeel is supple and soft. Some stratified glass lacing mitigates the overall visual. But, for most, good beer is almost solely about taste and there's not enough to make it noteworthy. No strong earthy and complexly sweet counterbalance to the hops here. Not that it's necessary, as the hops are so muffled, they really don't need it. So, the best is you can get an 8% ABV buzz without too much defined taste at all, including the taste of the alcohol. That might just be its only attribute.