Juice Drops (Prickly Pear Strata)
Untitled Art

 

 

 

 

a tasty and original beer from these guys, who continue to be hit or miss for me with the stuff that has come to idaho. this has a nice pink color on it, vibrant even though its also quite hazy and dense, airy almost belgian looking white head from the tap, lace rings as i drink on it. unique nose, floral and tangy with hints of cranberry and hibiscus from the pricky pear, and some compatible tangerine and white grapefruit from the hops, i think all or mostly strata in this. its less messy than i thought it would be, the yeast seems minimal for the style, the hops arent bitter at all, and this seems drier than expected, cool! the flavor is robust but still not as hoppy as i thought, almost more in the pale ale range, and the prickly pear is right there with the hops, cool that its not run over by other fruits as it often is, really allowed to shine int this. i get summery watermelon and even raspberry character, along with some husky grainy character that keeps this plenty beery. a touch heavy in feel even with nice big bubbled carbonation, but i could have still had a second pint, sneaky on the abv. love these hops specifically with prickly pear, great flavor combination, and this seems pretty fresh to me for being made in wisconsin. well done overall, distinctive, even memorable. juicy and summery and just fun.

Food and beer pairings have been strong considerations since the time "microbreweries" were trending topics. But now that notion spills over to beer recipes in Untitled Art's Juice Drops series. Pairing prickly pear with strata hops brings a seamless juicy tropical taste with Strata's passion-plus-pot character.

As a result, the Prickly Pear Strata Juice Drops IPA pours with a peachy golden appearance that's backlit with a foggy glow. As a fluffy white foam builds at the brim, so does the succulent scent of tropical fruit with a backdrop of citrusy and herbal perfumes. Setting a sweeter tone with a malt-centric upstart, the first sip soothes the palate with notions of honey, fructose and a slightly pastry character.

But the hops have a big say as the ale splashes against the middle palate. Its relaxing sweetness highlights the Strata hops and its character of passionfruit, pink grapefruit, lemongrass and vinous character right before the prickly pears add a succulence with its own flavors of berry, dragon fruit, cantaloup, papaya and guava in a juicy, radiant way. Trending fairly strong in bitterness, the late impressions are hoppy with fresh cedar, fresh-cut grass and a blend of green tea, balsa, verbena and hemp.

Medium in body, the beer dries out wonderfully nearing finish to provide a sense of crispness, refreshment and drinkability without giving up roundness or plumpness. A late aftertaste of grass bitterness is gin-like with a botanical array and a sense of tropical fruit peels.

 

Definitely pours out a with a thicker, juice-like consistency...deep golden haze, turbid with a fluffy off-white head...strong stone fruit vibes right off the bat, this thing screams apricot puree...big-time fruity and juicy notes of peach and pear and mango and some sticky honey sweetness. Very low bitterness...creamy and full-bodied, a good offering all-around.

Wife and I had a four pack of this over the weekend at my Dad's. It was good.