Fat Bear
BarrieHaus Beer Co - Tampa

Poured a copper-tinted orange body with good head and lace patches down the glass. Aroma has notes of citric along with some touches of earth and floral notes. Smooth, yet crisp, with a dirty, earthy hop body with a grassy finish. There's enough malts from beer to add some semblance of balance so you're not drinking dirt, but definitely a west coast IPA that turns to getting real earthy and herbal bitterness.

Crowler filled on 12/11/20; consumed on 12/22/20

Pours a translucent deep honey gold hue sparked with tints of orange and copper, and topped with around two fingers of thick, fluffy, off-white foam; solid head retention yields a spotty half-finger of chunky cap, a dense, creamy collar, and a thin but thorough veil of soapy lacing walling the glass.

Aroma opens with waves of fresh peach slices and a deft, underlying resin informing the bouquet throughout; orange oils, dank lemon, and a touch of sandalwood spice accents the middle as the back end becomes increasingly sweet and floral, evened by flaky malt before transitioning back toward saturated, sweet grapefruit resin to close.

Taste shows a dense array of floral, bittering hops countering a warming booziness into huge resin beneath bright tangerine and grapefruit peel; the mid-palate accentuates more tropical notes, as citrus rinds and distant pineapple are seared with earthy, grassy suggestions into the back end, and a finish that is as equally juicy as it is delicately grainy.

Mouthfeel features a medium-full body with a moderate-low carbonation, resinous and oily with moderate, gritty bitterness shining through on the back end and a rounded, juicy character meeting an integrated, boozy warming through the finish.

Shockingly mild for the style, Barriehaus has managed an exceptionally well-attenuated structure to counterbalance the natural intensities of a TIPA; knowingly juicy and fruity while firmly resinous and bitter, the condensed flavor unifies both ends of the hop spectrum for a hybrid uniquely balanced in a focused, higher-ABV form.