Crown & Pine
New Trail Brewing Company

Not often I pan a new trail but this one can be summed up as over-boozy with an injection of pineapple. To many good new trails to spend time with this “miss” with this collab.

 

Canned on: 4-8-25

A - Opaque yellow gold with a thin, frothy lacing ring.

S - Citrus and pineapple dominate the nose.

T - Citrus, pineapple, and some spicy pine. Ends with a nice lingering piney, peppery spice.

M - Medium body with prickly carbonation.

O - Not a memorable standout but definately very solid.

Poured into a narrow imperial pint glass: color is murky, hazy gold, head is off white with fine bubbles and presents one plus fingers deep, head lingers with solid top and lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is moderate pine upfront, very aromatic and prominent and different for NT HIPA; remainder of aroma is light pith and citrus, subtle pine, hint of dank, moderate wheat and oats.

Taste is more balanced with pith, citrus, pine, wheat, oats, biscuit.

Mouthfeel is low/moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, lower bitterness some boozy burn and a full presence that lingers.

Overall a surprisingly highly aromatic brew from NT and a pine/spruce note that i seek and often dont find.

From the NT Instagram post: "Crown & Pine is a Hazy Double IPA designed in collaboration with our friends at @dancinggnome for our 7th Anniversary. Named for the upper elements of our two logos. We laid down a base of oats and wheats for a soft, full, & clean foundation. Then we crowned it with a hop schedule packed full of Sultana, Chinook, & Simcoe. This Hazy DIPA presents with heavy lingering aromatics of pineapple and resinous green." Lightly hazed. Pineapple on the nose and palate. Nice finish.

 

 

On draught in a snifter. Hazy yellow pour, little head.
Nice aroma and flavor, sweet tropical citrus & mild pine dominate. The sweet/bitter finish is fairly well balanced for the style, just a little alcohol bite, not unpleasant.

 

It pours excessively foamy, somewhat expected from an alleged IPA with only oats and wheat in the wort. Said foam recedes unevenly and unattractively inside the clear glass liter mug, leaving almost no glass lacing. Eventually, the entire contents of the pint can do get emptied into the vessel. The aroma is slightly better than the visual, as there's some vaguely fruity notes to be had. Unfortunately, it's shallow, sweet and one dimensional. Things improve when drinking begins. The body is soft and supple, no surprise with oats in the wort. Although there's an obvious lack of malty counterbalance, the hop presence is nicely bitter in a citrus/pine way. With the acceptable alcohol bite, this is pleasantly and sharply dry and bitter, especially during the finish. The body remains constant. This is probably in the what would be considered a West Coast IPA by taste and a New England style IPA by mouthfeel. It straddles the two categories nicely and provides a real nice beer buzz. A little barley in the mix couldn't have hurt, but this ends up surprisingly better than initially expected.

Love New Trail oat brews….. pours a NT cloudy yellow, aroma to me is faint, I get pineapple and hops, but weak, taste is exactly the same, just slightly bitter hops, no citrus or pine, average at best…..

 

 

Slight fizzy bone white colored head with limited retention... Color is a vibrant orangish gold... Walks the fine line between hazy and translucent... Lovely slightly muted nose of sweet pineapple and resinous pine... A rather wonderful whiff... The palate is equally appealing and strikes a perfect balance of sweet and piney... There are some terrific spice and earl grey tea notes on the finish which add terrific depth and complexity... Feel is medium to full bodied with just a kiss of carbonation... Smooth and even with each sip... Outstanding beer that I'll grab another 4-pack or two of before it's gone...

 

 

Pours a hazy, pale yellow with a heavy white head that leaves trails of lace.

Pine and floral hops with citrus and pineapple notes and an earthy dankness in the nose.

Taste follows nose with nice subtle complexity and a lively carbonated mouthfeel.