Spring Terra
The Drowned Lands

Hazy lemonade. Berry, citrusy and light white wine hop aroma and flavor. Decent balance with light bitterness. Medium body but leans a bit light for 8.2%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Better than average IPA.

 

 

 

 

No canning date (released on 5/22/20, so presumably canned within a few days of that date)

Pours a light sunflower gold haze topped with two fingers of rocky, soapy white foam; good head retention fades to a creamy, chunky cap/collar, along with a webby layering of soapy lacing.

Aroma opens with a hit of dank gooseberry contrasting musty ruby red grapefruit peel; melon and soft, lightly honeyed mixed berry sweetness mark the middle into deeply herbal zest, fresh grass, citronella, and lemon peel on the close.

Taste offers subtle papaya and a muddled mixed berry medley upfront, with touches of lemon zest, soft honeyed malts, and melted tangerine sorbet covering the mid-palate; a deft, resinous across the back end invites supporting notes of fresh peach as candied grapefruit oils linger past the swallow.

Mouthfeel features a delicate light-medium body with moderate carbonation; a taut, crisp, vaguely bitter twang develops across the mid-palate and progresses into a malty roundedness on the back end; dries a touch before a juicy burst through the finish; soft, deft, and complete.

Understated and mature, this one quietly offers something beyond the tropical onslaught so common in the upper echelons of the style; myriad hoppy expression, as raw as it is soft, and with a juicy quality proving endlessly elevating; just up the intensity a bit and you've got something special here, but in the meantime, I'll be satisfied with this.

Pint can - no canning date - poured into an ale stem at 40°F.

Thanks to acurtis for this one!

Pours a hazy-but-not-creamy marigold colour, topped with two fingers of pure white head with good retention. Some decent lacing is left behind as the head recedes. No visible effervescence.

Nose: Classic Citra/Mosaic profile, though I'm not yet picking up on the Hallertau Blanc. Aromas of melon, gooseberry, rindy unripe fruit, papaya, kumquat, herbal grass, a hint of allium, and a whisper of berry, all atop a pale malt base with a faint honey biscuit note.

Palate: Follows the nose pretty well. Immediately, the malt is quite sweet, lending a bit of honeyed biscuit, and then notes of melon, white grape, papaya, candied citrus, gooseberry, lychee, and some unripe fruit rind come in. There's a bit of green herbaceous Mosaic in the mix, and the Hallertau Blanc is most definitely there, lending some spiciness, some herbal notes, and this really exotic fruity grape note with a hint of passionfruit, and an interesting perfume note. The sweetness from the malt is slightly overbearing, masking some hop potential. The yeast also brings a bit of a pink bubblegum note as well. The finish brings some more unripe fruit rind, and at the same time, some overripe fruit dankness. Zero bitterness, and only a whisper of pith. Doesn't dry out until well into the finish.

Mouthfeel/Body: The beer is medium-bodied, and the 8.2% ABV is carried much more in the sweetness than the body itself. There is some softness to the malt, but it doesn't have that fluffy NEIPA feel to it. It's ever-so-slightly cloying due to the hefty malt sweetness. Effervescence is fair - maybe slightly on the lower side, but not as much for the style and ABV. Minimal drying in the finish.

Overall: It isn't a bad beer by any stretch. The Citra/Mosaic is a predictable, tried-and-true hop combination, and it always works. The Hallertau adds a nice spin, as well as some more exotic notes, which is always nice. It drinks well for the ABV, and the feel is pretty nice. The only knock I have here is the sweetness. The honey-like malt sweetness is just overdone, and it really works to the beer's detriment. It masks the hop nuance, it becomes the defining trait, and it's a bit cloying. Were the sweetness dialed back a bit, or maybe a bit of wheat used instead to dry this out a bit, it could be a knockout beer. As it stands, the sticky sweet malt just drowns everything else out, and it doesn't make for a balanced, refreshing ale. For those who like their IPAs on the sweeter, fuller side, this could be a home run, but from a classic "hazy" IPA standpoint, the sweetness hurts it. Still a drinkable DIPA with a nice twist.