Madrileño 8
Oso Brew Co

Oso Brew Co. “Madrileño 8”
44 cl can coded “30500523N15 14/11/24”. Sampled on 25/11/2023

Notes via stream of consciousness: This is a double IPA at 8.5% ABV brewed with Mosaic and Simcoe hops, and Lallemand’s Verdant yeast. The body is a very hazy yellow-gold beneath a finger’s width of densely creamy white foam. In the nose I’m getting berries and peach from the Mosaic and earthiness, pine, and apricot from the Simcoe. The malt appears to be ~ never mind, it’s on the label ~ wheaty and oaty. The flavor confirms that and I’m going to call this a New England style IPA. I love the flavor of the oats! The berry flavor really comes through, and that makes sense because both Mosaic and Simcoe hops offer notes of berries. Everything else that I mentioned in the aroma remains along with some passion fruit, mango, tangerine, and grapefruit. Unfortunately with all of the hop flavors going on I can’t get a sense of what the yeast has contributed but that’s OK. A firm bitterness and some acidity from the hops balances it. What’s it called, “hop burn” or “hop bite”? It’s got some malt in the finish but it’s also acidic, bitter, and fruity. The mango and passion fruit linger for quite some time. In the mouth it’s medium bodied but it seems fuller because of all of the extra proteins from the wheat and oats, and the carbonation comes across as moderate to median. I’m currently about halfway through a two week visit in España and this just might be the best beer that I’ve tasted, and it’s definitely the best IPA I’ve sampled, and I think it’s the only NEIPA that I’ve come across.