Fresh Pine IPA
Matchless Brewing

i was hesitant on this, with the 20 dollar price tag and being lukewarm on the fresh fluff it came in with that i tried for the same price a couple weeks ago, but i took the plunge anyway and i am so glad i did, this one smokes that one, and is one of the better and more exciting fresh hop beers ive had all season, drinking a four pack in one sitting would be nothing, its so bright and distinctive, late climax on the hops, really resplendently fresh, loved it! this is done with a new fresh frozen type hop product and it adds a lot to this, pungency stands out to me more than the varietals themselves somehow, which are centennial and amarillo. the pour is golden and pretty clear with two plus inches of rising and lasting white head on top, lots of bubbles, looks spectacular. aroma is slightly muted, retroactively compared to the flavor anyway, with grapefruit and pineapple candy at the fore and supporting notes of meyer lemon, cantaloupe, and herbal freshness, a dill note, juniper, bubble hash, very fresh indeed, somewhat concentrated on the hop side, maybe nothing more than pils on the malt side, clean and complete fermentation. the flavor is awesome, but its a slow escalation through the first two thirds of it, subtle apricot and mango, orange marmalade, danky sativa nuggets, but then when it finally does peak, its crystalline hop intensity with bright citrus, chardonnay, and ripe pear character, green skittles and lime leaf, smarties candy as it warms, just epic, right before the swallow, some bitterness rising with it, but this is fruity hops first and it has a wonderful purity and intensity that is especially uncommon in fresh hop beers, like taking it to this level is impressive, its so tasty! love the light grain base, just right for this, and it still has some body, its just dry and out of the way, fine balance for the style for sure, and of excellent overall quality even before the hop uniqueness that ends up defining it for me. some relative misses in recent rounds of matchless for me, but this is way up there with the best ive had from them, and has me excited about the future of hops and hop products, this stuff from crosby in here is very distinctive, ill be on the lookout for more with it, nuvo its called. piney and fruity and magnificent, insanely fresh, this is elite. im sad the season for fresh hops is coming to an end, but what a year it has been!

Draft at Hops & Bottles. Clear golden pour, short lived foamy white head. Hoppy aroma, light piney notes. Taste is mildly hoppy, not as strong as you'd think from the title, pine

Pour is unfiltered hazy. Modest head, very low aroma for a FH beer, just a whiff of floral. Taste is that of typical mid-tier IPA with no discernable FH qualities. While certainly not a bad beer, it just doesn't pass the bar to a high standard.

Big pile of foam on the amber brew rising up in the Stella Artois goblet. Lush and creamy carbonation. Warm and malty. Yellow cake in the flavor with a spicy note and resiny hints. More like honeydew melon than pine, but not complaining. Long lasting foam fills every sip with a satisfing sush. Hops are listed as "fresh Amarillo, Cascade, Chinook."

Overall this is a rich and even malty sort of hoppy brew. Hops are bold but not very bitter, and this is balanced with the sweet malt in an equitable way not often seen in IPAs. Quite delicious, actually, From the 16 oz can purchased maybe at Central Market. Canned 9/13/2021.

Pours a hazyish golden copper color with a bone white head that laces the glass beautifully. Nice resiny pine notes on the nose, along with some grapefruit.

That resiny pine is forward and dominant on the taste, with a nice citrus flavor at the back of the palate along with the slightest bit of caramalt.

The mouthfeel is medium and dry, fitting this mostly WCIPA nicely. Truly a pleasure to drink.

16oz can (dated 9/13/21) poured into 16oz tulip. Poured a hazy, cloudy dark orange color with over an inch of just off-white head that had good retention and light-moderate lacing.

The aroma was hop forward, mostly citrus, with a hint of pine. There were some soft grains in the background.

Same on the tongue. Maybe this brew was a bit brighter closer to the canning date, but seems a bit muted now.

The body was medium, maaayybe just a touch on the fuller side of medium, smooth, and had a medium finish.

Drinkability was good, I could drink another one.

Overall, a solid and enjoyable brew. Worth grabbing if you see it.

 

2021-09-26
16oz can served in a tulip. No date that I can see. I'm moderately confident I bought it at Full Throttle Bottles about a week ago.

Pours a dark amber, slightly hazy, medium to large head that has great retention. Smell is piney and woody.

Taste is some sweet grain tea, some resin bitter (but not a ton). A little toffee/toast flavor.

Mouthfeel is almost watery. Overall, it's not bad, but definitely not great.

Fresh Pine IPA from Matchless Brewing. Received two 16 oz cans in a LIF from @snaotheus. Stored at home at 40 degrees. Reviewed 23/09/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Marked on bottom of can “CANNED 09/13/2021”. Served at 40.6 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 50.5 degrees.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Straw (SRM 3), clear.
Body – Deep Gold (SRM 5), hazy. When rear-lite, same.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.3 cm, aggressive center pour), chalky white, medium density, average retention, diminishing to a seven to nine mm undulating crown and a partial cap. A few scattered tiny islands of extremely tiny bubbles remain above the crown. Second pour produces a 0.5 cm head.
Lacing – Fair. Medium band of tight lacing. See also above.
Aroma – 3.5 – Initially weakly perfumy – no malt, no yeast. This quickly fade to nearly odorless.
Flavor – 3.75 – Begins slightly bitter with weak malt, no yeast, and a slightly resinous aftertaste. Distinctly no pine. No ethanol (6.5 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, watery, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Ten days post-canning and the hops are nearly gone. Indeed, drink fresh!