River Runner
New Trail Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Undated can into pint glass. Pours a hazy light gold color with a brief off-white head. Not much lacing. Initial impression is pineapple, floral, orange, and a touch of pine. Mouthfeel is clean, dry, and slightly astringent. Finish is subdued citrus, with very little residual sweetness. Overall, quite drinkable but not very memorable.

I have been relegated to drinking just one (1) beer a day due to my current USPS job, which requires that I work 6 days/week, 10.5 hours/day. I CAN do it & have adjusted nicely (sort of), but I find that it is usually one upon returning home & then off to bed to reChArNge for the next night. Yes, I am working the night shift, but I actually enjoy it! I CAN run a couple/few errands during the day, if I am so motivated & inclined + I really like many of my fellow night shifters where the day people are less so.

I was recently staring into the abysss, I mean, watching a little TV, when I happened to realize that I had a subsCANtial amount of New Trail CANs in abeyance & decided to revisit them for yet CANother brewery horizontal. This shall be the eleventh of this newest set.

From the CAN: "River Runner India Pale Ale"; "Keep Cold[,] Drink Fresh".

I was CANurious whether this one was correctly identified since no Notes appeared before I Crack!ed open the vent. I beCAN with a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass, but once it beCANe obvious that it was a hazy NEIPA, I let it flow freely. I got just under two fingers of foamy, soapy, rocky, eggshell-white head with decent retention for my efforts. Color was a deeply-hazy/lightly-cloudy Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7). Nose was oddly tropical with notes of orange/CANgerine & coconut (!) as well as a pine mintiness. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. The taste had a pronounced coconut flavor (!) & I beCAN to wonder if it might not have been aged in bourbon barrels, which is a CANmon trick for garnering such a flavor. If not, then I am truly intrigued! Taste was mainly coconut with some orange/CANgerine & pine thrown in for good measure, but not signifiCANtly enough to be the dominCANt flavor(s). Finish was semi-dry. I CANnot decide just how I feel about this one. I like the taste of coconut, so that was NOT an issue. It just lacked a) bitterness & b) OOMPH! in that it was kinda a one-trick pony. I was left feeling unfulfilled and unsatiated. It would NOT do the trick if I filled a cooler with it for a river outing, although YMMV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From a fresh 16oz can. From the NT Instagram post: “ River Runner is a Hazy IPA brewed with luscious oats, wheat and Germanic Malts. Gushingly hopped with HBC 472, Simcoe, & Amarillo. HBC 472 is a new hop we were presented at our trip to Yakima, known for its tropical, coconut, & floral notes. Expect rich tropicals, fresh floral, and light coconut notes. Get ready to hit some big swells with us.” Definitely some coconut notes on the nose and palate with possibly a little more bitterness than expected. Nonetheless, a solid brew.

 

 

Poured into a narrow pint glass: color is murky straw gold, definitely hazy and dense, head is off white with fine bubbles and presents 1 inch thick and then lingers very well, minimal lacing.

Smell starts slow, but give it time to warm up to experience the coconut notes and mixed tropical fruits - it is definitely interesting - light, sweet coconut, maybe some pineapple and mango, hint of citrus.

Taste is similar with interesting coconut flavor, slight full sweetness, then some mixed tropical fruits (light pineapple and mango) and citrus rind bitterness.

Mouthfeel seems a bit too bitter for the flavor - I don't like the bitter hops and coconut together - otherwise low carbonation, stronger bitterness, light sweet feel.

Overall - an interesting beer - definitely different than the other hazy's from NT with the HBC 472 hops providing unique coconut character, but the bitter flavor/feel seems to overtake.