Longsword
Mortalis Brewing Co.

Appearance: Pours a completely cloudy (5% clarity) medium to pale orange/yellow color with a strong white head. SRM of 6-7. (4.00)

Aroma: Aromas of orange, tangerine, stonefruit, and peach. (4.00)

Flavor: Flavors follow with more orange, tangerine, stonefruit, peach. Some tropical melon and pine linger. (4.00)

Feel: Medium body, appropriate carbonation. Balance of zesty, juice, and overall finish is clean. (4.25)

Compared to Mortalis Zeus 4/26: Similar pour and aromas. More pine and tangerine. Less pineapple, mango. Similar flavors overall, but lighter and cleaner. Winner: Longsword

Overall: Mortalis Longsword. Some great Citra, El Dorado, and Amarillo providing some fantastic orange and tangerine flavors. Mosaic adds some tropical and stonefruit. Even some pine and zest to make it drink clean. Fantastic mythos and beer. (Rating:

 

 

Mine says 8.0% ...

Pours a super-hazed gold with a thumb of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention & sheets of lacing

S: Green melon, some dankness, cantaloupes, grapefruit once warmer

T: Follows the nose, white grapes & dryness upfront, some pink grapefruit as well. Grapefruit asserts itself as this beer warms up, some green melon, white grape & pineapple as well. Finishes a little dry with plenty of grapefruit, a little white pepper & green melon

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation; nice balance & a little acidity. Carbonation picks up & the body thins a bit once warmer

Abv is well hidden, nice combo of citrus & melon

Picked up a can in Avon last week this dipa golden orange with a bountiful 2 finger head that reduced to splash marks the like you would see as patterns of dolphins and clouds in my neighbor’s Malibu inground pool. Aroma is a brilliant tropical cacophony of grapefruit peach mango tangerine. Taste follows with an aggressive gruff dank. I’m thinking is too much is too much, much like how my wife complains to me about. There is pine, melon , orange. Creamy, smacky , more sweet with time. Overall I’m an easy grader, but this one is good not outrageous.

Longsword is a pretty beer, that produces a cascading head upon pouring. A dense white foam develops to about 2" or 3", before suddenly turning rocky after two minutes. After five minutes, all that remains are thick patches of sticky lacing on a Spieglau IIPA Glass. The beer itself is a murky yellow/gold (SRM 3-4).

The descriptor "dank" is one which I purposefully avoid, as it is vague and often implies something illicit. However, when dankness nearly rips one's nose out from the sinuses, something ought to be mentioned. In this case "dank," as in a catacomb, certainly applies. The more modern usage of "dank" equally applies. And I mean both, not either/or. A few minutes following the opening olfactory onslaught, nasal perceptions begin to return, and one notices strong grapefruit, and dirty cat. Some other aromas are present, but my brain, reeling from the dankness, is unable to process them. By the way, I don't care for the cat aroma.

Hop presence is abrasive. We get it, this is an IIPA, but the imperialism need not be so aggressive and totalitarian. There is no attempt toward balance, and no apologies are offered. Bitterness is extreme, and there is no means by which to suspect the brewer had other intentions. All other flavors are relegated to a status of whimsy for the capricious masochistic pleasures of the alpha acids. Sure, one will find grapefruit, pineapple, and wet pine needles cowering in the corners, quivering in anticipation of their bitter overlord returning. And that bitterness does return, with a vengeance, in the long oppressive finish that keeps kicking long after one cries uncle.

The alcohol is short of hot, and yet far more present than 9% suggests. The body is dense and juicy, with a velvety texture. Carbonation is softer than expected, but what is one to expect under the dense foreboding of the hops and the oats, which rule with a thorny iron fist.

Humor aside, while Longsword is difficult to consume, and it really does numb the entire mouth, I can only imagine this is what the brewer was seeking to achieve. If one envisions this as the West Coast's response to NEIPA, then well done indeed. Warmth does allow hints of blessed sweetness.

One last note: If you love your dog, take great care not to spill a drop, as the poor creature may never forgive you.

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at Mortalis Brewing Co in Avon, NY.

This one pours a very hazy golden yellow color, with a small headand lots of lacing.

This one smells like orange creamsicle, lactose, pine, grass, and tangerine.

This is really quite tasty. The oats and lactose give this such a soft feel to it, and rounds out the bitterness and keeps it well balanced. It's super juicy, with mostly a big orange and tangerine creamsicle sort of thing.

This is medium bodied, and super creamy, with a great level of drinkability.

This shares a bit of kinship with the oat cream beers that Other Half does. This is a nice beer.