Talisman
Counter Weight Brewing Company

 

Love Nelson hops above all others and this one delivered. Pale orange haze and slight grape juice on the nose. Huge white wine and grape taste. Perfect. Have to wonder about these ratings: did I overrate it because I love Nelson and the guys a few down underrate it because he hates Nelson?

 

From a 16oz can, dated 10/09/20. Served in an IPA glass.

Pours a hazy, opaque, milky grapefruit juice-color with two fingers of soft, pouffy head. Retention is pretty good, leaving a merengue-like cap and fat gobs of lacing.

Aroma is fairly faint, but I’m picking up grape juice and biscuit.

Taste is a juicy fruit cocktail with the dial set dead-center between bitter and sweet. Slightly-off grapefruit juice, white grape, mealy pear and nectarine. Ends with a sour grape/composted melon rind aftertaste.

Feel is slick and slippery, medium bodied with bright, tingly carbonation.

Overall, let’s be fair: I dislike nelson and brewers should put a big red warning sticker on the cans so that I don’t buy anything brewed with it by accident, sort of like with gluten or for people with peanut allergies.

 

 

Pint can poured in to a nonic glass. No dating

Look- Hazy golden straw color, solid bone white head with great retention and gobs of sticky lacing. Light carbonation streaming as it sits.

Smell- Citrus (grapefruit, lemon and lime), unripe pineapple and mango, green grapes with a bit of peach and melon, bready malt, white pepper and other spicy/herbal notes.

Taste- Similar to the aroma, pithy citrus with under ripe tropical fruits, a bit of green grape and melon, white pepper and earthy hop notes.

Feel- Medium bodied, somewhat crisp with a slightly bitter finish, well balanced. Moderate carbonation on the tongue.

O- A little under whelming considering the other offerings I've had from back east but still solid.

16 oz can from jrc1093 into Parish Teku.

Deep juicy light blonde with a tall creamy head that stays and stays. Lots of sticky lace too.

Aroma is of bagged lawn clippings, lemon, grapefruit, and slight catty dankness.

Flavor brings juicy grapefruit and sweet lemon, with grass, dill, and hemp. Some grapefruit juice as well as some shades of orange juice as well.

Feel is juicy and acidic, with a heavy carbonation and some resiny dryness. It's a juicy bomb despite being so dank.

Overall, a killer NE IPA and one I'd have again. Not particularly sweet but has a great juicy dank quality to it.

 

Canned on 1/24/20

Pours a glossy dull gold body as an impressive, thick white head sits multiple fingers high; excellent retention recedes painstakingly to an inconsistent chunky head, varied globs of webbed lacing, and a creamy cap of froth.

Aroma opens with rounded notes of fresh peach compote before raspberry dances with white grape dankness through the middle; the steadily building tropical sweetness settles and dries slightly with a touch of wet basil before resuming with attached to a quiet malt interlude.

Taste shows a herbaceousness touched with apricot and mango upfront, with an easy transition to grassy, dank yet subdued white grape before a creamy sweetness peaks toward the back end as grapefruit peel and flaky malt show on the swallow.

Mouthfeel features a medium body sporting an intermittent thinness and moderate, fluffy carbonation; a silky smooth balance of hoppy grit primarily informs the mid-palate, while remaining oily yet not slick; a slightly resinous bitterness appears toward the finish as a saturated, semi-juicy pop comes through on the swallow.

Clean and steady, this NEIPA establishes an intriguing front and eases into a balanced base from which it presents the full array of fruity, herbal, and ultimately juicy tones which comprise its appeal; falls short of stunning, but admittedly has few weak spots overall.

 

 

 

 

 

16oz can. Pours a pale orange with an inch plus of frothy white head. Tons of lacing. Lots of the Nelson right off the bat. White grapes, berries and dank hops. The taste is white grapes and peach along with some crackers. The dank hops come out more towards the end with a bit more peach and berry. White wine finish. Medium body with a dry mouthfeel, low carbonation and very little alcohol presence. Definitely worth seeking out.

Counterweight really knocked it out of the park here. I honestly think this stands up there with some of their heavy hitters like Vulture Culture. Beautiful hazy brew with a small head. Really great aroma on this, very dank and fruity. Taste is killer, if you like Nelson hops you'll love this. Cracker like malts with low sweetness, resinous and dank hops with a bit of citrus, the finish is that huge white wine grape you'd expect from Nelson. Really lingering. I need to try some more but I think this verges on 4.5

Super beer and I know I've been waiting for a Nelson beer from CW for a while but it was worth the wait to get this one!