Rhymes Like Dimes
Xül Beer Co.

16oz can. Poured out a cloudy, golden orange color with a small, off-white head of foam. It left sudsy sheets of lace. It smelled of grapefruit, orange, mango and caramel. Sweet tropical fruit taste with toasted caramel and a piney bitterness.

 

 

 

 

 

2.5-week-old can poured into a Teku glass.

Quintessential look, glowing yellow-gold body, fully opaque but not murky at all, with a nice creamy look to the fluid. Fluffy white head that holds up quite well initially and is easily reinvigorated with a few concerted glass swirls. Nice soapy lacing all the way down the walls of the glass. The coloring isn't quite as bright and alluring as some other Xul hazies, but other than that I have no complaints.

Aroma profile is wonderful, with the Nelson adding some real nuance. Wonderful, dank, vineous greens matched by bright citrus and tropical fruits, with a steady wine grape note lurking throughout. A little peppery with a touch of pine. Slight Juicy Fruit gum note and a light breadiness. Really great nose.

Taste falls short of the aroma more significantly than any other Xul hazy I've had to date, though it's still tasty and very drinkable. Tough for a 6.5% beer to keep up with the wonderful smells that dry-hopping provides. But this one is hurt by a slight starchy green bite that isn't quite balanced out because there's little residual sweetness to speak of. Great citrus and grape notes, plus some tropical fruit and dank weediness. Pithy grapefruit finish. Very dry as mentioned before.

Silky smooth and nicely coating, but not sticky or chewy at all. Perhaps a touch thin based on the look, but that's understandable given the lower ABV.

One of the lesser Xul beers I've had to date, but still very high quality. The starchy bite is the only real objective complaint.

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(1/30/2023 revisit)

Several additional weeks in the can did this one some good. Bumping taste from 3.75 up to 4.0 (overall score from 4.04 to 4.14) as the starchy green bite from before is largely gone. That allows a little more balancing fruit sweetness to come forward that is a wonderful complement to the deep, dank greens and vineous grape notes. Still not the strongest taste profile I’ve had from a Xul 6% hazy, but it’s still a high quality offering.

Atypical hazy. Less sweet and more bitter than most. Bold, dry, tasty.

Appearance: Arrives a cloudy goldenstraw with a two finger head; clumps of lacing

Smell: Papaya, passionfruit and citrus pith

Taste: Papaya forward with a hint of vinous white wine grape; through the middle, a moderate bitterness develops with passionfruit and citrus pith; relatively dry finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, creamy; moderate carbonation

Overall: A nice blend of the juicy and the austere