Hopular Cluster
Beachwood Brewing - Huntington Beach

 

Murky to the max but with plenty of foam in the tall tulip. They list eight hops in this stuff, leading off with Mosaic and Citra. The aromatics are stupendous, of course. Fruit salad starring honeydew melon and mango, with every kind of citrus. Lime peel on the lips. Just moderately bitter.

The mouthfeel is sweet and sticky. You could sip on this for an hour if you wanted to savor the endless hoppy fruit and flowers, though I don't think it improves as it warms up. Too much of a good thing, even hop fumes. From the 16 oz can purchased at Bottlecraft in North Park.

 

 

Pours hazy and amazing!

Super opaque sunny delight color. Very little head

Nose is peach, tangerine, and white grape

Taste is a little earthy, orange zest, peach, a bit of pine in the finish

Soft silky mouthfeel. Just enough bitterness to keep it from being overly sweet...Nailed it here.

Poured into a pint glass. A very hazy bright golden color with a medium sized frothy white head. A well made double New England IPA. Enough heft on the end to create a very soft feel. Minimal bitterness, and huge tropical, resinous, and citrus flavors. Very well done.

 

Modest head production, but nice retention and very nice lacing. Body is a beautiful peachy orange color, completely opaque, with no visible floaties.

Very juicy nose, primarily tropical, but with strong stone fruit and citrus, along with a bright, green herbal scent. Mango, peach, oregano, pineapple, mandarin orange, honey, flowers, light pepper; very mild dankness (likely develops stronger notes over time; this can is barely two weeks old).

More dank on the palate, with sweet, pungent, earthy notes accompanying overripe peach, pineapple, lemon, passion fruit, cream, sweet pale malt, and touches of mint, grass, and basil.

Super smooth on the palate; an absolutely wonderful expression of the style, with liveliness yet soft creaminess. Low (but not vanishing) bitterness. Moderate-to-long finish with a creamy wetness.

Lush, juicy, thick, and creamy, this isn't the best NE-style IIPA I've had, but damned if it doesn't deliver. Well worth a try.

My homie at my local liquor store sold me hard on this one - said it should remind me of Heady Topper.

And?

Heady Topper this is not. But it’s not bad. Right when I cracked the can a massive bouquet of tropical aromas greeted me like a Kelly Kapowski/Zack Morris wedding.

Let’s continue on.

On the tongue is a mixed bag like Alicia Silverstone’s acting career. The beer isn’t “Clueless,” but it also definitely isn’t “8 Head in a Duffle bag.” It’s a mix of East meets West like this asian chick I met on Tinder and had dinner with at Gracias Madre. It’s a bit malty, but the huge tropical essence is the thing that shines through. What I am not feeling though is a bit of dead grass and slight skunkiness.

Was this worth $5.99 a can? Hell no. But it’s not all that bad.

Peace!