Tsunami IPA
Hilo Brewing Company

primo can of beer to rip with some better than expected late night sushi, i love how a lot of the cans in hawaii have these ribbed tops, feels old school to me, not sure if it is or not, but they are distinct at first, i got used to them quick, nice to drink from, hold, good look. this is bold, balanced, and a little older school, not entirely old school, its not sweet at any point to me, at least not overly so, and its short of amber colored, just a lighter medium copper, close to clear, frothy short head on it, pure white, consistent carbonation. the hops are piney, orange zesty, and with a bitter herbal or even juniper type note, my can is real fresh, and its assertive to me overall without being complex really. toasted bready character to the malt, medium crystal or honey malt or both, tidy ferment. the flavor has grapefruit and orange, fresh spruce and gin, and resinous cannabis character that sort of all hits at once, middle of the drink, and lingers awhile, riding the grain body and some oils through the swallow. no caramel or toffee or nutty grain elements, its a bit lighter than that, it is not overwhelmed by these big hops. decently high alpha but not absurd, smooth and long to drink on. i suppose this tastes like a million other ipa types out there, its good but its classic and not original in any way. that said, the quality is high, the technical detail is good, and the balance is there. enjoyable can with my food, could have had several, this is sneakily strong, one of their better beers i had while i was in hawaii.

 

 

Bought a 6-pack can $8.99 Foodland
No can date
Smell of caramel, molasses
Clear amber color
Medium mouthfeel
Medium carbonation
Taste of pine, malts, faint bitterness, hides alcohol well
Overall ok. Not much like an IPA. More malt than hops. If it was called an American Pale Ale I would have rated it higher, but basing it as an IPA.

Purchased at the grocery store in Hilo, no canning date. Pours amber with excellent clarity; tight white one finger of off white head; ok cap retention; solid ring and some soapy lace. Earthy hop nose. Semi sweet malt base; very mild hop bitterness; lemon, grapefruit; dull malty finish. Medium light body, moderate carbonation; no warmth from 7.2%abv; no astringency. Overall, a very average tasting malt forward American IPA with very little hop bitterness or for that matter, flavor; it’s not the worst islands IPA by far that I’ve had so far…otherwise, meh.