Lawn Games
Outer Range Brewing Co

14.9 oz. Can

Poured into a Trillium glass a pretty nice cloudy dark orange color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger plus off-white head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is pretty nice, hoppy, malty, with a pretty nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, mango), pretty nice pineyness/diesel like. The taste is very nice, hoppy, malty, with a very nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, mango), very nice pineyness/diesel like. Medium Body, ABV is hidden very nicely, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, this is a very tasty beer.

 

Poured from a 16 oz can with a sell before date of 8/26/2022 into a Willi Becher pint glass.
L - Pours a clear medium amber color with a fluffy white head that dissipates slowly leaving lots of lacing on the glass.
S - Smells of grass and hops.
T - Tastes bitter and piney.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - Really interesting West Coast IPA.

 

 

 

16oz can, no freshness dating visible. Opened 7-26-20.
1" white head, soapy bubbles. Decent retention, steadily falls to a 1/4" cap.
Deep golden IPA, not hazy but not quite crystal clarity to start - clears up as it sits. Spotty lacing.
Decanted and left about 1oz in the can due to the lesson I learned with Arete (another WCIPA from Outer Range with a ton of sediment in the can).
Caramel malt, bread dough. Orange, floral - orange blossom, pine.
Very subdued and faint Nelson (white grape) character in the nose...you have to dig for it.
Citrus (orange) is the primary hop flavor riding on a big, bready malt base. Good but fairly one dimensional.
Full body and mouthfeel, low-medium carbonation. Feels can-conditioned ala a Sierra Nevada IPA.
Good to Very Good.

L - honest, see-through, WCIPA attempt; not a ton of head, but good lacing. Reminds me of a certain downscaled version of a New Mexican IPA.
S - muted grass, a little cat pee, some hay and hops on the nose, not a ton honestly and I let it warm up.
T - Ok, better than the smell - like a mini-version of the NM beer: Elevated IPA, but turned down a notch. Nice, but not exceptional.
F - Good carbonation, might feel too round or flat for some, but easy drinking. Smooth. Good palate saturation, some hope bite at the end.
O - A good effort at a west coaster, just needs a bit more attention to the balance between hop-malt-bite to make it memorable. Nice.

Pours a fairly clear, unfiltered tawny bronze colour, topped woth a finger of loose, coarse, off-whote head woth good retention. No visibke effervescence.

Nose: Faint toasty caramel malt sits in the background with some graininess, while classic Centennial aromas burst forward. Dank pine and grapefruit, while Nelson lends a ton of green grassy notes woth some melon, white grape, and floral honey notes. It isn't too loud or complex, but it's very pleasant and unique.

Palate: The beer greets the palate with an extremely balanced malt backbone. Not too dry, not too sweet - just right. The malt seems both pale and toasty at the same time, with an immediate explosion of grassiness, white grape, horned melon, lemongrass, pomello pith, serious dank, almost funky overripe fruit, and then working into some pine as it progresses. The finish dries out very quickly, and the Centennial pu,ches through a bit, lending some bitter citrus pith, resinous pine, and still some green grass - all wrapping everyone closed in a dry, resinous, bitter finish.

Mouthfeel/Body: The beer is Medium-bodied, maintaining a very crisp element, yet packs some weight with its hop and malt profile. Rather refreshing. Effervescence is lively, and very fine in nature. Little-to-no malt stickiness, but some oily hop cling and the bitterness do add heft. Dries out nicely.

Overall: West Coast IPAs with Nelson aren't something you see everyday. As a fan of Nelson, this one stands out to me. It isn't a Nelson bomb, and the Centennial mat not be the greatest choice to pair with it, but all things considered, it's a unique, refreshing take on a WCIPA, and I think it's very enjoyable. It isn't perfect, but it's a great beer.

 

 

Revisited 05-24-20

Original ratings: 3.75 3.25 3.5 4.0 3.5

The head is thicker and longer lasting this go around, and the smell a bit more pronounced. I find the taste much more pleasant. The mild band-aid note is missing and the taste richer, more balanced.
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Clear, deep golden body; lively carbonation; decent one-finger thick head, sudsy yet lasting. Low-key smell; muted esters, kind of berry-like; a little fresh green grass. A bit of honey sweetness to the backbone with some white grape notes; bread crust late in the game; a tad phenolic with a sharp bitterness at the finish. Medium-heavy body; sticky but with a dry quality; some alcohol dryness and burn.

I'm not so sure about this one. It looks okay yet the smell is really faint and the taste is rather odd. Well, there will be more to try, so I'll update my review if things change.