False Prophet
RoHa Brewing Project

dont think we caught this one at peak freshness but i wasnt too stoked on it, especially right next to a vastly superior hazy from fisher, but age may have played a factor in the somewhat unfair comparison, still, this hit as a little amateurish, a little estery, like the fermentation was a bit warm or stressed, and while that aspect isnt totally incompatible with the hops in this, i dont think its making any attempt to be belgian and so this kind of presents as a flaw. mandarina bavaria, idaho 7, simcoe, and comet hops, a fun and i think somewhat unique combination, and perhaps the mandarina is driving some of that almost detergent ester character, but i get the grapefruit of the simcoe in the nose and taste too, a light green onion element perhaps from the idaho 7, and certainly a touch more bitterness than a lot of these hazy ones have, nothing wrong with that. not super dense and hazy which i like, no sediment in this from the pint can, airy and lasting inch of loose lace head, fine carbonation, solid looking beer, light in body for its abv, off dry. notes of canned mandarin oranges, musk melon, lemon cleaner, and coriander, more of that as it warms, some generic pale barley malt leading the grain side, this doesnt seem as oat and wheat packed as has become common in the style, not at all. the flavor has that phenolic thing to it way up there, but beneath it is a nice mix of hops, zested lemon and orange, a hint of mango or even peach sweetness, and some grounding grassy characteristics and some generic grain sweetness for a flash. i wish the ferment was more tidy and that this presented a little fresher because its full of promise, but definitely missed its peak unfortunately. cool can art, seems like these guys are doing some cool stuff, this is fine, but next to more dialed examples of the hazy style it leaves a bit to be desired in terms of overall quality, despite the hops being well paired and dosed...

 

 

Look: Poured from pint can into snifter. I’m seeing a deep orange color with a frothy white head. Nice looking beer.

Smell: Pretty mild but a decent array of tropical and citrus fruits - some pineapple, grapefruit, mandarin orange. Not much else and the hoppy aromas are operating more in the background.

Taste: Pretty weird taste actually. The fruits from the nose are absent, the taste goes into a mix of what you expect from an imperial IPA - heavy malts, some caramel, nuts, and the bitter bite of the hops which comes through fairly subtle.

Feel: Light to medium and runs 7.0 ABV. Easy enough to drink.

Overall: I’m a bit torn here - not bad by any means but tastes almost like the inverse of what a hazy IPA should be.