Kook
Outer Range Brewing Co

 

 

its insane that this is as strong as it is, its dry and the booze is totally absent, i really cant believe its pushing 9% abv, it drinks like so many of their others in that lower range. crayon yellow in color, not as sedimented as many of their others, radiant in the glass even though its not clear, and nice head on with ring lace as i drink. its a great showcase of some new zealand hop varietals, which factor pretty enormously in the dry hop profile of this beer, kiwi fruit, white grape, green melon, lemongrass, the usual suspects, but the freshness is insane, there is a weedy dankness in it, and there is a cool cut fresh flower aspect as well that i am not as familiar with. some citra in here too doing its thing in the post fermentation hop additions. the flavor is as good as the nose, a rarity for these hazy types, all that fruit in here is just brimming, while there is a honey sweetness running through that seems to attract and carry the floral aspect of the hops, elderflower and even like a yellow tulip thing, very springy and in bloom to me. some raw wheat, pale pils type malt, and maybe a little bit of oats in the mash, but this feels somewhat more refined and delicate than some of their others, even though its as strong as it is. i love these new zealand hops, and this beer is an awesome way to feature them, a cool collaboration, and a beer i am thankful to have scored at maximum freshness. outer range is killing it with the hoppy stuff, has been since day 1!

Presentation: Draft, served in a Rastal Harmony tumbler.

Appearance: The one finger head goes away pretty quickly and it leaves behind a lot of lacing in sheets and big patches. It's a murky, bright yellow gold color.

Smell: There's a lot of fruit up from with notes of pineapple, mango and even some lemon. There's a slight hint of alcohol in the background as well.

Taste: It starts off with some fruity and sweet papaya and pineapple. That's balanced out by a smooth milky note and an earthy, grainy finish.

Mouthfeel: It's extremely smooth, creamy, dry and slightly chalky.

Overall: An excellent hazy IPA with lots of fruit character and some milkiness and graininess to balance things out. The chalkiness on the palate is a bit disappointing but it doesn't ruin the beer. It's still delicious.