Honeymoon Phase
BlackStack Brewing

I think this one was oxidized. The retailer is solid but I've never seen this brand on the shelves before. Might have been sitting somewhere for a while. I got a distinct horseradish taste on the back end.

 

 

 

Poured from pint can into imperial pint glass.
A: Pours a hazy yellow hue with 1-2 inch frothy white head with excellent retention.
S: Lovely fresh hop aromas hit from 1-2 feet away. Sweet grapefruit, tangerine, orange zest, lemon, pineapple, and subtle dank pine.
T: Pineapple, sweet grapefruit, orange zest, lemon cream, dank pine, and a hint of tangerine.
M: Medium light body. Very soft and creamy feel. Layers of citrus sweetness with mild dank bitterness in the background. Lingers nicely on the palate.
D: Lovely fresh hop IPA! Versatile beer that pairs well with food and is superbly enjoyable on its own too.

 

A - Pours a pale orange body, very hazy, with a short white head that fades to a semitransparent thin cap, extensive tiny bubble lacing.

S - Citrus hit of grapefruit and a hint of Tang-style powdered orange drink, with pine and tropical notes of mango below.

T - The tropical fruit comes forward, passionfruit and mango, along with canned orange and pineapple juice, with an acidic spike in the finish.

M - Moderate weight and resin on the tongue, decent carbonation, and scrubbing finish that leaves just a hint of build of chew over the course of a glass.

O - This is Wet Hop hazy I'd grab again, which is saying something. The flavor is solid, and the feel surprisingly workable. Very nice!

Appearance: Pours a mostly hazy (15% clarity) medium to deep golden color with a strong white head. SRM of 8. (4.00)

Aroma: Aromas of a orange, grapefruit, some dank, pine, herbs, pineapple. (4.00)

Flavor: Strong flavors of orange, bright, pink, grapefruit, some herbal and pine notes. Some sweet, pineapple and stone fruit at the end. Dank underneath. (4.00)

Feel: Medium body, strong, carbonation, finishes somewhat sweet and dank. (4.25)

Compared to Phase Three All Pixel Everything 11/25: Pours darker. More grapefruit, dank pine, stonefruit. Less tropical lime, grape, berries.

Compared to BlackStack Sharper Image 11/25: Pours lighter, stronger head. Less sweet pineapple, mango. More pink grapefruit, stonefruit, pine. Drier.

to Barrel Theory Veil Breaker 11/25: Pours darker, stronger aromas. Less phenolic citrus, pineapple, lime. More pink grapefruit, orange citrus. Similar pine. Similar.

to Drekker Metaphase 11/25: Pours darker, similar aromas. Less orange, sweet grape and berries. More passionfruit, stonefruit, lime. Similar zest and sweetness.

to Toppling Goliath Citra Hop Drop 12/25: Pours lighter, stronger aromas. More dank, earthy pine and pineapple. Less orange, tropical berries, grape. Similar Stonefruit. Winner: Toppling Goliath.

to Phase Three Cloud Street 12/25: Pours lighter, Less earthy apricot, stonefruit. More floral, passionfruit, pineapple notes. Similar pine.

to Mortalis Yakima Blend 1/26: Pours lighter, similar aromas. More dank pine and bright citrus rind. Less pineapple and mango. Similar.


Overall: BlackStack with a fresh, wet hop IPA. This is BlackStack's first wet hop IPA. Some Mosaic and Krush for flavors of pink grapefruit, pineapple, and stonefruit, but also a distinct dank pine note. But the dankness starts to tame as the beer sets allowing more of the hop flavor complexity to come through. It's smooth and really good. Great fresh beer from BlackStack. (Rating: 4.08)