Intros In the Sand
Timber Ales

 

A: The beer is very hazy to cloudy yellow in yellow in color and has some hints of brownish hues. It poured with a half finger high dense white head that died down but never completely faded away and left lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of lime are present in the nose along with notes of papaya and hints of pine.
T: The taste follows the smell but has additional notes of mangos and orange citrus. There is a light amount of associated bitterness.
M: It feels nearly medium-bodied and very juicy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is quite juicy and has complex aromas and flavors from the hops.

Serving type: can

 

 

 

 

Cloudy golden color with a 4F head in a Spielgelau IPA glass.
Strong aroma of citrus, tropical fruit, earthy.
Medium body.
The taste is less prominent than the aroma. Earthy, citrus.
Very drinkable.

 

Intros In The Sand is my second experience with Timber Ales, from whom I previously enjoyed (but didn't love) another collaborative brew; a barleywine flavored with vanilla. Since this is quite a different beer (Mosaic/Citra/Simcoe IPA) brewed with a different collaborator (Resident Culture out of Charlotte, NC), I'm assuming nothing about my prior experience with them will carry over in any meaningful way. Super perceptive stuff from me so far, here, I know... so let's just get into the review.

The pour is, well, actually really nice. Super vibrant (though opaque) orange body capped off with an absolutely awesome head. This thing is just beautiful; several fingers of consistent foam that slowly recede to a leggy, lace-bearing half-finger with almost totally-unperturbed webs of soapy goodness clinging to the sides of my glass. Awesome looking stuff, which makes me very excited to dig in and see what's truly on offer.

Damn, this smells like a veritable world-class juice bomb; I am on board, one-hundred percent! Creamy orange/tangerine juiciness mingling with papaya and mango. Slight pine-like elements, passion fruit, and maybe even a bit of vanilla (though the can does not disclose any adjunct additions, for the record) punching through the hoppy goodness. I really like that this seems to kind of drill down to the basics of the three hops, finding the common ground and utilizing that in its most focused form. My hope is that it marries the juiciness of the modern hazy IPA with some actual cohesive bitterness and body on the tongue, but perhaps I'm placing high expectations on this simple, unassuming beer.

Well, I'll be damned; this is almost exactly what I'd hoped for upon my first few sips. Perfect structure, super-saturated with hoppy goodness... juicy but also well-rounded and balanced with a firm, level bitterness. And drinkable to boot for its strength (right on the high edge of "single IPA" in my opinion, clocking in at 7.5%)! Upfront, I'm getting a ton of tangelo with grapefruit... the typical "generic (but good) citrus" pairing in most Citra/Simcoe IPAs, I'd say, of course. But the mid-palate changes gears and brings out passion fruit and papaya, giving some tropical complexity to the proceedings, as hints of Sauvignon blanc grape (almost Nelson-like!) must perk up the palate toward the finish. A refreshing wave of guava and more passion fruit throws itself at my tongue histrionically, though everything seems balanced at the end of each sip. I am so impressed by this. The feel is perfect: juicy, balanced with moderating carbonation, and nicely-bitter to boot. It's soft but not demure or lacking "oomph," I guess is how I'd explain it. This is a truly great modern IPA. Get it!!

 

 

Had on draft at 12%. Great taste with a perfect mix of pine, woodsy type flavor with the smells of tropical fruit notes. Well done.