Tent Zipper
New Trail Brewing Company

 

 

 

16oz can into a pint glass. NO freshness dating.

Looks standard for the style. Hazy dark orange juice colored body. Small white head shrinks to a ring and covering, light lacing.

Hoppy citrus aroma.

On tasting, hoppy, tropical fruit.

Mouth between medium and full, finish warming, fruity, lightly bitter.

Overall, if you want a poster child for the generic, everyone is brewing one, (or 10) NE hazy ipa, this can be it. Tastes like many others, nothing bad, but nothing to separate it from hundreds of others.

New Trail Brewing Co. "Tent Zipper"
16 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating
$4.25 @ Kunda Beverage, King of Prussia, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: This is a hazy IPA with "GERMANIC MALTS", "WHEATS", and oats that's hopped with Cascade, Centennial, Crystal, Mosaic, and Citra hops. Interesting. My initial thought is that this is probably overdone and muddled but I want to be open minded about it so let's see. It's poured a cloudy golden body beneath a short head of yellowed off-white foam. It's resinous and citrusy in the nose with a floral side besides. Some sweetish and grainy malt supports it. The flavor follows with more malt in play. Some pine is added to the mix, and some orange, apple, and berry. It's woodsy and floral like a recently rained on forest floor. The malt remains lightly sweetish and grainy but also bready and oat-like. A firm bitterness balances it and it finishes dry, fruity, piney, and woody. Now, I don't want to be a dick but I believe that my initial impression was right and that the hops aren't coming through nearly as clearly as they could be. That might not be a big deal if it all worked out but I don't really feel that that's the case here. It's not so much muddled as just muted. I can see what each of the hops are doing, and I appreciate that they're working together rather than bumping heads, but I don't believe that they're doing the best that they can to support the beer. It's a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, and not one of them is acting as the chef. I love Crystal hops, and I can taste them in the mix, but they certainly don't shine. I also love Mosaic and I can see their contribution but you only get a little bit of what they can deliver because there's so much else going on, and that goes for every other hop involved. Rant over. In the mouth it's medium bodied and crisp. The head held up OK but the lacing was limited. I'll call this a very good hazy IPA in the New England vein, but it's not great.
Review #8,307

 

L: cloudy yellow and very Hazy. Leaves about a finger and a half of head that dissolved quickly
S: tropical fruit, orange, a little grassy and some pine
T: follows the nose. Very sweet
F: medium body, crisp, light carbonation
O: a quality beer. Lots of flavor and density for a 6.5

Undated (WTF) can into pint glass. Pours a murky gold with a persistent off-white head. Great lacing. Initial impression is a really interesting blend of pine resin and juicy orange rind, with a bit of sweetish malt to balance things. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and not particularly soft. Finish is initially sweet and juicy citrus, fading to a pine bitterness. Overall, a really nice departure from the typical NEIPA. Well done.

 

After a pint can was zipped open, its contents were poured into a clear glass Imperial pint mug. The color isn't dirty blond, it's filthy blond and dense. A big fluffy white head shows and quickly dissipates, warning that this may be over starched by too much wheat. A common characteristic of many New Trail IPAs is an abundant aroma of hops and starch. That's what's here. As the eyes forewarned, this is muted by some unappreciated starchiness. This is another example of how a base that is largely wheat and oats just doesn't deliver the same mouth feel as barley malt. There probably is enough sweetness to pair off with a decent hop presence, but the mouthfeel still suffers. The finish, where hops usually get to dominant, comes off almost chalky. This is a peculiar one; the taste is good, but the secondary characteristics are annoying. The glass lacing is fine, but doesn't effect the rating.
P.S. Two other sources put the ABV of Tent Zipper at 6.5%.

Meh,..not NTs best hazy, do I detect a hint of pine? Just OK for me. Enjoy NTs other home runs.

 

 

 

First experience with brewer. 16 ou can. No alcohol level indicated which I find strange. Intensely hazy with white head. Smells like fruit. Body is light. First impression not sure - all kinds of things going on. As I get more into the beer it becomes a nice take on the NEIPA style (not sure why it is labeled an American IPA). Overall enjoyable and want to try another.

 

Pale orange in color with an opaque, unfiltered appearance. Poured with a moderate, bright white foam with medium retentio. Light citrussy aromas followed by sweet fruitiness and notes of melon, freshly cut pineapple and grapefruit pulp. Medium bodied with medium light carbonation and a pleasant, creamy smooth feel. Citrus, melon and fruity flavors followed by medium bitterness through the middle. Medium light malty backbone. Citrus and dark berry flavors on the back end. Finished semi-dryly with fruity orange, grapefruit and citrus notes. Fruity, malty, citrussy, smooth, easy, balanced, drinkable.

Slight bone wheat... Hazy would be an understatement... Pale lemony color... Big nose... Lemon drops... Wet Grass... Some earthy hops... The palate is slightly more subdued... Lemon zest... A touch of dankness and again wet grass... On the lighter side of bodied... Smooth and goes down easily with each sip... A decent enough IPA, but nothing overly memorable...