Nesh Terra
The Drowned Lands

 

Pours with a milky haze of pale yellow (SRM 3). The head is big and luscious, holding white cream at two and a half inches for a long time. The head eventually becomes a dense creamy pillow after leaving splotches of thick lacing on a Strangebird IIPA glass. The head never completely fails.

Strong pine resin, garlic, and dried grass are the first to greet the nose. Black tea follows. Warmth brings out garlic and oregano that continue to build. Pine straw eventually shows up. Some burnt rubber eventually becomes apparent but never overwhelms.

The hops are powerful, with pine resin and light garlic leading the flavors. There is no citrus, yet something is trying to add a sense of freshness to the otherwise intensely earthy flavors. It is very bitter, with slight sweetness. The finish is long and bitter.

This has a full body and plush velvet texture. Alcohol is as expected for 8.4%. Carbonation is soft. It is fairly astringent, with a gum-numbing sensation.

I consider this a Hazy West Coast variant of the style that is exceptionally well done. I enjoyed it with an aged and intense Gruyere cheese.