Above the Clouds
Western Collective

16oz can from Hops & Bottles. Pale, cloudy golden body, frothy white head. Aroma is citrusy and dank. Taste is fruity, citrusy, lemon with a light feel. Some light residual dankness

this is fantastic, done for bogus basin ski area, possibly also with bogus as a collaboration, never got the full story, but a perfect beer for that context and frankly one of the best western collective brews to date for my money. its well refined for one, clean on the ferment, not green, nothing forced or out of proportion, the quality is there, which is the main thing. then, the hop profile just slays, citra and nelson, glorious combination. is nelson falling out of favor? used to be in everything, not you see it less and less, but its in all its wonderment here, pineapple and clementine and mengo and lemon curd and summery white wine, these varietals go so well together, freshness is evident, and the lightness of the malt is ideal to let the hops shine, just a light pale barley undergirding it seems. the flavor follows the nose, definite sauvignon blanc to this from the nelson, soft peach and ripe mango and fresh squeezed orange juice, ever so slightly oily which i dont dislike, and no haze, new school yeast weirdness, or green bite, although it does have some bitterness that helps it finish fast and also keeps it in the ipa realm despite being so light to drink and juicy overall. modern and refined, fizzy and refreshing, fruity and nuanced, super impressive effort from these guys, cant wait to pound these all season on the hill! a perfect winter sports brew, nailed it!