Vagabond Dreamer
Battery Steele Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got a can of this beer off the single shelf from my local beer store located just around the corner. It poured a hazy golden with thin white head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had dank pineapple notes with apricot highlights. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with tropical fruit start and subtle fruit peel spice finish. The mouthfeel was medium in body and had good carbonation. Overall it is a solid beer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: cloudy; pale gold in color; 1 finger ivory head that receded to a wispy cap; nice lacing;

S: pineapple, orange, and lemon;

T: follows the nose, but what came through as a natural aroma comes through as an artificial flavor; mild bitterness on the finish;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: flavor was disappointing;

Picked up a 4 pack from the brewery on my way up north for a bit of social distancing. Wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, but boy, is it delicious. It’s got a velvety smooth mouthfeel, smells like tropical punch and tastes like a combo of mango nectar and maybe nectarine or apricot. Really smooth finish on the palate with a hoppy-oily mouthfeel.

I was introduced to Battery Steele with Flume, and I have to say that at least Flume and this one can compete with some of the best NEIPAs out there, in my opinion.

 

In addition to Firn, Onsight #13, and a new batch of Flume (more like "swoon," which is how I feel about that beer, am I right?), Vagabond Dreamer recently made its way into my local craft beer store as part of a new round of distributed goodies from Battery Steele. Firn (multigrain APA with Citra and Simcoe) was awesome, and Onsight #13 (all NZ hopped "experimental IPA") was pretty good too, so I'm hoping this nails it as well. VD was originally known as Onsight #7, a Citra/Vic Secret hazy IPA fermented with a "new yeast blend" (no details from the brewery as to what that means, however), but it was apparently good enough to feature as part of their normal lineup. Alright, I'm in!

Pours an opaque papaya/mango/pineapple juice color (that is to say, it's golden-orange for the most part), with a good helping of tiered lacing and solid legs. It really only has that single layer of lace, but I do have to give it props because that one bit looks quite nice, and the head retention is pretty spot-on even though it eventually sinks to a quarter-finger.

The nose here is just nuts. Vic Secret is one of the best modern hops for very good reason, and this really exercises a lot of its best characteristics in such a potent way, but Citra is certainly no slouch when utilized correctly either... immediately upon bringing this to my nose, I'm met with a veritable bouquet of dankness, onion, passion fruit, papaya, overripe mango, and white grapefruit. It's just intense, and actually smells a little stronger than the 7.2% it claims to clock in at. This thing feels like it's gonna be a big ol' DIPA with 8 or 8.5% ABV under the belt, for Christ's sake! So. Damn. Aromatic and oily! It's actually almost too much for me, weirdly enough.

Punchy flavor profile with a lot going on... powerful graininess backended by passion fruit-laden hops punctuated by tangerine, tangelo, grapefruit, orange, and papaya fruitiness. Soft and supple feel with low-medium carbonation. Plush drinking with moderated but firm bitterness that lasts for a few seconds after each sip. Not a tough drink, but definitely very hoppy and intense. I can see why this became a regular brew for them, but I think I prefer Flume by a bit (disclaimer: Flume is in the running for absolute best strong NEIPA for me, and each batch is ever-so-slightly improving its position in the running, as it's brewed quite frequently and is easy to find fresh... but it's very expensive). It's stronger, more focused, and, by extension, feels more intense in a directed and specific way. VD is great stuff, though, and I believe more people should give it a shot!

A: Pours a hazy straw yellow color with 2 fingers of head that fades down to a thin cap

S: Lots of citrus and dank/herbal hops up front. Some lighter grassy notes in the back

T: Follows the nose. A mix of citrus and dank up front along with the herbal and grassy undertone. Moderately bitter. Finishes with lingering citrus and herbal notes

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

O: Glad they decided to brew this one full-time. Very easy to drink with a good mix of citrus and dank hop notes. Worth a drink