Bright Wave IPA
Counter Weight Brewing Company

 

Pours a clear amber color with a 1F foamy head and filmy lacing.

Smells of slightly dank piney hops and citrus.

Tastes of crackery malt, lightly tangy grapefruit and orange with a lightly bitter finish.

Medium light body and carbonation. Clean, crisp mouthfeel.

This is a nice easy drinking brew.

 

 

A: crystal clear; medium gold in color; 1 finger finely pored white head that receded to a wispy cap with a moderate tight collar; very little lacing;

S: grapefruit with pineapple and mango in the background;

T: muddled tropical fruit up front; mostly orange from the middle through the finish; very little bitterness;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish; mild hop burn;

O: nice bright aroma; with no bitterness to speak of, this is more of a filtered NEIPA than a WCIPA;

 

Tap poured crystal clear, golden, effervescent, quarter inch head. Delightful! So good to have a clean, clear IPA that isn’t carmelly, syrupy (looking at you Jai Lai!), or over-the-top alcohol. NEIPAs have their place but they are overdone. Bright Wave is a welcome change back to “classic”.

 

 

 

9 Day Fresh can poured into a tulip glass.

A: Clear light orange color. One finger of fizzy white head. Little head retention and almost no lacing. Moderate amount of carbonation bubbles.

S: Pine. Slight fruity aroma. Wine like with a bitterness. Cool.

T/M: Pine. Bitter hops. Slight tingle of carbonation and hop burn. Reminds me of champagne. Light fruity sweetness. Thin but smooth mouthfeel and kinda watery. Has a dry berry like aftertaste.

O: I was expecting more of a hop presence from a west coast style IPA. Has more of a wine like vibe to the beer. Hop flavors are good tho but subdued. Easy to drink at 7% ABV.

Cheers!

 

 

 

Poured from a 16 oz can to a Nonic glass at fridge temp. Purchased 2-days ago cold and kept cold. The can is stamped “CANNED ON 02/03/25” (6-days ago).
The body of this beer has a bright gold, crystal clear body. Very tiny bubbles rise continuously through the session. An aggressive 4-finger head sits above, fades to a single layer in 2-3 minutes. Lacing medium to low.
The aroma is not strong, but there is some citrus, floral and pine.
The taste is similarly not strong. Definitely rind, some suggestion of pine and definitely dry.
The mouthfeel is medium and carbonation is fine.
This beer is clean and has some of the right notes, but they are far too subtle. I expect a 7% West Coast IPA to hit me hard with bitterness, pine and dryness. This one has no bad qualities other than being too shy. But it is dry.

I was extremely excited for a year-round offering of a West Coast IPA from a great east coast brewery, especially since the “death” of the once great nebco sea hag ipa… so I had high hopes for this beer. But unfortunately, it falls short. So far counterweight has yet to make a proper West Coast IPA. Bright wave lacks the dankness, the pine, the skunk and funk of good West Coast IPA. instead we have relatively thin feeling, bubbly, clear champagne of what tastes to me like mosaic hops. It’s reminiscent of Nebco supernaut or even sip of sunshine, but It’s almost like they didn’t really wanna make a West Coast IPA so they half stepped. Poor choice of Hop selection aside (i don’t want “ripened berry” in west coast), the body is too thin and light it’s lacking the minerality and malt heft of a proper West Coast IPA. The foam is so finely bubbled that there is zero head retention nor any creaminess. It just has nothing I look for in a west coast ipa. It’s timid and boring as hop water.