Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Bull N Bear Brewery

Pours a dark shade of copper with a light haze to the transparency that drops to a more firm haze when the final ounces of the can are poured into the glass. It's topped by two and a half fingers of off-white foam. Aroma is pine, resin, peppermint, bubblegum, and tropical fruits. It hits with a lightly dank, sticky start, which are, unfortunately, undercut by the bubblegum quality. Fortunately, both bubblegum and peppermint are very minor. Bready malts and a little residual sugar sit at the close of the aroma. Flavor profile is builds on resin, pine, herbal, and light medicinal hops. It remains steadfast in these hops throughout, breaking apart briefly to give glimpses of bready malts and a fruity yeast sweetness underneath. It doesn't exactly finish bitter, despite being a West Coast IPA style, instead leaning lightly into both bitterness and dryness. This symbotic 'close' of the beer helps retain some balance, without being off putting by pushing either quality (bitterness or dryness) too far. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with a very consistent neppy sweater texture. It's not quite smooth, nor is it full and thick. Overall, the nose creates some issues, but the rest of the beer lands in the West Coast IPA style (as listed on the can) well. It makes a wonderful contradiction to the NE IPA craze at the time of writing.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 16oz can.

Pint on draught at the brewery the day after its opening. It pours a golden-amber color with a large, frothy, milk-white head and significant creamy lacing. It's an attractive pour. The smell features malty, floral notes with whiffs of orange and grapefruit. As it warms in the glass there is increasing resinous pine on the nose. Its taste opens with a solid base of malt similar to an English/Southern IPA but balanced by tropical fruit flavors from the Idaho 7 hops and mango and a hint of pear from the Azacca. While not overly bitter, there is a lot of pine needles at the finish. The mouth feel is luxuriously thick and creamy with pleasant carbonation, and the 7.5% ABV gives it good substance. For a new brewery this is an excellent American IPA with great balance.
Update: This beer was released in January 2022 and I'm really impressed by the flavor. I raised my rating accordingly.