Chaos Therapy
Foreign Objects Beer Company

I've really enjoyed everything from FO that I've had so far, so to be able to pick this up and enjoy it feels like a privilege. Really hoping to see these guys more often in my neck of the woods!

Pours a hazed-over, nearly-opaque bright yellow color with a finger-and-a-quarter of compact white head that laces spectacularly and brings with it some seriously solid legs. The entire surface seems to be an unbroken splotch of white on top of this most golden elixir. Very nice looking stuff!


So, this features Mosaic and Chinook hops alongside a base grist of Pilsner malt, eh? Alright, first thing I notice is that the nose is heavy on sweaty, grassy and dank scents with some supporting notes of tangerine, mango and passion fruit. Light pine resin and herbal spice here and there, but it's mostly fruity and grassy with some unique phenolic and estery notes. There seems to be some light and rather unobtrusive diacetyl here too, but perhaps it's not going to come across on the tongue; could just be a trick of the senses when it comes to the hop combo. Can't say I've ever had a beer that was specifically Mosaic/Chinook before, after all.

On the tongue, this is heavy on blueberry, blackcurrant and raspberry flavors; it's jammy and fruity, in other words, kind of taking the more "typical" Mosaic route of faking-out the scent profile and introducing new elements on the tongue. A lot of the time, this feels like a cheap trick to me and it feels pretty common in Mosaic-focused beers (especially dry-hopped and DDH ones), but this one succeeds for several reasons at actually pulling off this trick. First of all, it's a smaller beer, so the whole experience is a bit less intense; most of these Mosaic-heavy beers are really strong and just end up feeling like a chore to drink. Additionally, though, it's also well-balanced by the Chinook hops; I like the slight pushes toward the realm of pine and the spicy, more "Noble"-type hoppiness that comes across in the mid-to-late palate. It's kind of subtle, but really endearing.

As I alluded to above, this beer has a more svelte profile than other FO beers I've had, but that's really only in comparison to those other beers. It's a pretty heavy bodied beer for only 5% when taken on the whole, and some people may not appreciate that. I think it's pretty appropriate for what's going on here, however. This is a hop delivery mechanism in a can, with a specific and well-developed hop-focused profile that does what is intended. The carbonation is on the lower side and this doesn't drink as easily as most 5% APAs do, but it's also likely not supposed to. The low ABV is not necessarily correlative with its sessionability, in other words. I enjoy this and look forward to enjoying many more FO beers in the future. These guys get me thinking, and I like that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L: Hazy straw yellow in appearance. A simple pour yielded 2 fingers of a bubbly white cap that dissipated quickly. Moderate residual lacing clings to the glass.
S: Herbally and earthy with fresh hints of citrus, mango and black pepper. Smells fresh and inviting.
T: Nice. Citrus flavor dominates with a grassy/lemon finish with lingering flavors of malt sweetness and sappy pine.
F: Really nice for a session. Smooth, moderate carbonation. Moderate weight and feel.
O: Crushable and enjoyable. Very happy with this brew, and I would drink again. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

Picked-up a single can as part of a mixed six-pack at Kappy's in Norwell for about eleven dollars. Recent canned-on date. Solid brew, would get again.

 

A crusher (sorry), especially at 5% ABV. The body is watery, but this is exactly what I expect from a session IPA. The flavor is more tropical than anything else. The smell is kind of lacking. I would definitely drink again, especially in the summertime.