Base Jump
New Trail Brewing Company

 

 

 

Poured into a wide mouth, grip shaped goblet: color is murky straw gold with dense haziness, head is off white to white with fine to small bubbles, head laces the glass sides with solid to remaining.

Smell is blended peach and pine, subtle grape sweetness, hints of wheat and oats.

Taste is similar with light peach, grape with pine and herbal notes, malt notes of pils and light oats, drying with a light booziness. Its good and has more aroma and subtle flavor than some/most NT HIPAs.

Mouthfeel is low carbonation, moderate sweetness, lower bitterness.

Overall an NT DHIPA that has some aroma and some subtle flavors that are not overly tropical or pineapply, still want a touch more bitterness but it hides its strength well.

Canned 02/19/25. Pours a dusky amber yellow. Can label cites notes of soft fruit, piney resin and white wine minerality, and the nose and taste reflect that description. Very smooth finish with really no heat from the 9% abv.

 

Light aroma, strong flavor. Too smooth for 9%.

tasty

 

 

First, the dilemma of a category: At 9% ABV and self-described as a hazy double IPA, is this an Imperial IPA, or a New England style IPA? Little matter, as it's a good single pour to entirely empty the contents of a pint can into a clear glass liter mug. The brew is orange-amber in color, dull and opaque. At a chilled temperature, there was little off-white head produced. It's not particularly aromatic, as oated brews seldom are. With a little imagination, you can get a little piney notes and maybe some peach or pear. Still, nothing here to evoke salivating. But, it's another pleasant high octane hazy from New Trail, the style they do the best. There's that oat contributed soft, yet supple mouthfeel. The combination of hops work to provide a dry, almost brut champagne-like finish. The hops are much more dry than bitter. There's almost no notice of the significant ABV. It's never too sweet, nor too bitter. Hopheads will certainly want more of a bite than this brings. Instead, this has to appeal to open-minded beer drinkers that need a muted version of the style. It's not too hoppy, it's not too malty, it doesn't taste too alcoholic, although it carries the same potency of many white wines. No, it doesn't have the character of a great New England IPA, but it certainly is a pleasurable pint.