The Best of the West - Riip
Western Collective

maybe not quite to the level of the melvin one, but this is definitely one of the best beers in the series so far, and restores a bit of my faith again after i wasnt too wild about their anniversary imperial ipa this year. this is crystal clear, impossibly light looking for a double, almost looks more like a pils in the glass, highly refined yellow beer with a light honey tint to it and an almost inch of pure white head, looks great from the tap. the hops smell and taste pretty unique here too, west coasty and oily to me, but with identifiable peach and mandarin orange to me, not sure what the hops here, but they are at least in part unfamiliar, and i am immediately attracted to what is going on here. the super light and dry grain base is crackery and simple and out of the way, right where i want it, and so this doesnt have to be all green and forced to be pungent and distinctive, seems really well calculated and executed, fully intentional, and dangerous too because not only is this light textured and delicious, the alcohol is also really well hidden, even when it warms up some this never shows like an imperial at all. pils and pale wheat taste to the grain, juicy stone fruit, melon, and meyer lemon to the hops, some grapey sativa at the end, green grape, just super summery and sexy, so bright and clean, nothing green at all here, crazy for this hop intensity. a really great beer here, one they should maybe keep on making as a full time offering. among their best hoppy beers ever! need to track down some riip beer too, this one has me keen!

16oz can from Homebrewstuff. Hazy golden pour, small foamy white head. Grainy, woody aroma, light hops. Taste has some malty flavors with a hoppy presence, mouth coating, sticky. Pretty subdued. On the fence here, but it's not knocking my socks off.