Zaboo
Switchback Brewing Company

Canned 05/09/24.

Slightly hazy orangey-gold , with 1.5 fingers of off-white head.

Smell is apricot, grapefruit, orange rind, and hints of lemon and bready malt.

Taste is similar to aroma, but drier, and the separate elements less distinct.

Feel is medium, with moderate, semi-soft carbonation tingle.

Overall, pretty good. I'll have to try it fresher. Seems as though it has potential to be quite good.

 

 

 

 

On tap at The Tillerman during dinner. Very hazy. Pretty full flavored.

 

 

 

Brownish amber and hazy. Smaller head but it leaves a blanket on the glass after each sip.

The smell starts with some berry sweetness. There’s an additional honeysuckle floral aroma. No discerning hop I can pick out.

The taste is dryer and far more bitter than the smell indicates. Fuller body with a neutral level of carbonation. There’s a tastiness to the pale malt. It’s brief as the black pepper bitterness takes over quickly leaving a lasting aftertaste.

 

 

Poured from 12 oz can into pint glass and paired with microwave swedish meatballs.

Hazy rich golden color, three finger head, nice ring and scattered lacing- A very pretty NEIPA. Smells mild and peachy. Flavor leaves lot to be desired- great hops on the way down, but it leads with some muddled tropical notes that remind me vaguely of like seven fruits. It tastes fine, but not great. Unexpectedly dry finish is not giving NEIPA, and I'm fine with beers that break style conventions when they're good, but this beer just seems confused. Lighter bodied than I'd hoped, and combined with the high carbonation it's... fluffy? Is that a word people use to describe the mouthfeel of a beer? I don't care. That's the word I'm going with.

In summary, this is a fine beer. It's drinkable and inoffensive.

I was expecting more of a traditional NEIPA - really hazy and juicy. This beer is not super hazy and on the drier side with a nice hoppy bite at the end. I quite enjoy this beer!

Being a Vermont brewer, it’s funny that Switchbacks flagship is not a NEIPA. And I like that about them. However everyone nowadays makes a hazy ipa and being in IPA territory, they had to. I like this NEIPA since it doesn’t try to fill you up like a smoothie. Beautiful haze, great froth, hoppy and tropical notes on the nose. Taste wise I got the melon and orange but not so much peach. Overall this was nice paired with a cheese plate. Not a mind blowing IPA, but a solid post paint and sip night cap.

 

 

love it when i go visit my parents and mom procures some nice craft beer, always a rad gesture of her. this is one of her picks this time, and a fine choice. one i have never seen from these guys before, a lower alochol hazy, low in bitterness too, more in that pale ale range than ipa, but a sturdy body, lots of haze, and a great hop flavor, and i appreciate the sessionable nature of it, not enough at this strength in my opinion. its just slightly unrefined looking, not rough, but a little murky and muted, tall white head on it though and good retention, some sediment in the very bottom of the can. the nose suggests maybe el dorado hops, as i get nectarine, cantaloupe, and mndarin oranges from the can, but im not sure what the hops are, a little mosaic pineapple thing too, not amazingly fresh, but not bad there either, and less from the grain than anticipated given the look of it. the flavor is similar, a little more familiar resinous character, but still fruity, tangerine, peach, and even green grape. some light nuttiness to the malt, not out of place, and a pretty clean ferment that gets to just off dry. i think they could drop just a little malt and haze out of this and have a better beer, but i like a lot about it, the hop profile, the lower abv, and the fact my mom hooked it up! nice to see something new in package from switchback.