Fast Faster & Disaster
DuClaw Brewing Co.

 

A: slight haze; medium gold in color; 2 finger ivory head that receded to a thin cap; OK lacing;

S: apricot with orange and pineapple;

T: soapy apricot from start to finish; mild to moderate bitterness at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; dry finish;

O: not an inviting flavor;

12 oz bottle poured into a mason jar.

Slightly hazy yellow-creamy white head-nice lacing.

Nice mix of floral and citrus hops. Malt supports but doesn't dominate.

Taste follows the nose. Simple but pleasant. Quite balanced and easy drinking.

Mouthfeel is medium and smooth. Soft carbonation with no bite.

I enjoyed this one. Again, it's not flashy but is well executed. I will gladly revisit again

 

 

 

 

 

I have to say I like the name. I'm not sure how it relates to the taste. I also wonder the age of my sample. The only markings were from the store, and I've found those at World Wines to be wrong (old stuff that was just now being put out as singles). No grudge on the vendor, though.

It pours a beautiful golden yellow with fine head. Stunning in the glass. The aroma is not a big feature. It smells beautiful, but it does not project into the experience. Similarly, the taste is not overbearing. It also doesn't feel boozy (although lately my tolerance is poor). It is refreshing, though, since you are not bombarded with malts either. It's a nice balance and a nice selection of hop fruits to get in there.
It is reminding me of my dream beer, that would somehow get cannabis goodness from buds and deliver it with hops. So this DuClaw is dreamy!

Recommended.

 

 

 

I got in a DuClaw beer yesterday so I decided to follow it up with another one today. Sometimes, the decisions are easy here at Chez Woody. I am still stoked to read "Distillery Cats: Profiles in Courage of the World's Most Spirited Mousers" as the DuClaws are featured.

From the bottle: "This medium bodied, straw colored IPA races toward the edge of calamity with a zero minute addition of Amarillo & Azacca hops that produces a full-throttle rush of pineapple & passion fruit flavors, accented by subtle notes of lemon. Open it up and ... HOLD ON TIGHT"; "Respect_the_Fluid".

I Pop!ped the cap & began a slow, gentle pour into the awaiting glass. Once accomplished, an in-glass swirl was in order, raising a finger of foamy, rocky, bone-white head with decent retention, leaving nice lacing in its wake. Color was Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) with NE-quality clarity, surprisingly light-colored for the style. Nose was kind of sweet with the pineapple & passion fruit (I would have guessed the usual tropical fruit flavors of mango, papaya & guava) front & center, underlain with a light lemony citrusiness. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was just as the label described it - pineapple & passion fruit with a light, spritzy lemony citrusiness. This would be fine, except that it is billed as an AIPA which includes a high IBU count in its style description. They really need to break off "Tropical AIPA" and "New England AIPA" into thier own categories, IMHO. In the interim, this was nice, but it was not really scratching my AIPA itch. Finish was semi-dry, but I think that it would do better in a CAN during the summertime as a thirst-quenching spritzy beer.

Popped the bottle top and let it sit a second. White head began a slow spiral climb out of the top, similar to a very heady Belgian Ale.

L - Upon Pouring it, 80% or more of blistering white head took over my glass, perhaps a defect in the yeast? Too much priming sugar? Bottled too soon? Anyways a nice hazy yellow liquid peeking out from underneath.

S - Straw and old school soap are the first aromas to hit my nose, followed by a pleasant floral.

T - Big bold sweet malts, honey, and vanilla flavors mix well with the hop bitterness lending it more to the sweet side and hiding the IBU's. The carbonation is now low in the beer so I have a feeling i'm missing out on the intent of this flavor profile. An exciting and delicious experience nonetheless.

F - Medium bodied, missing carbonation because it shot its wad out upon pouring.

Overall I would recommend this beer, I definitely got the bastard stepchild bottle and it was still worth it.

 

BOD 7/28/17 Clear golden pour with a touch of amber. Outstanding head volume, world class retention and quite outstanding lacing.

Outstanding nose of sweet citrus coupled with tropical hops over a bready base. Orange, pineapple and light mango are the primary aromas with pineapple being strongest. A hint of zest is present as it warms.

Light body with a smooth texture and a touch of oiliness. Let it outgas and a touch of creaminess presents. The carbonation / body balance is world class. Mid-palate effervescence is prickly and allows for excellent flavor separation. The finish is finely bubbled, prickly and quite lively.

The flavor profile is almost quite outstanding. Alcohol astringency becomes slightly uncovered at the finish and lingers past. That is this beers only flaw and it is relatively minor in intensity. Balance is world class, intensity outstanding and complexity almost quite outstanding. All the flavors of the nose present. It leads with a hint of pine and zest that shifts to orange in the slightly sweet middle. Pineapple is always present underneath. Orange fades to mango coupled with a touch of passion fruit. The tropicals fade at the finish allowing the astringency to emerge and linger. Bitterness is moderate with zest making its strongest showing in the lingering finish.

 

 

 

Clear, light gold in color with half finger of head and no seen lacing. Aroma is heavy with pineapple and some carambola. Taste is a little muddled with some tropical notes present but a touch weak and unimpressive (old beer?). Mouth feel is slightly bitter with a bit of overripe pineapple at the end AND A TOUCH OF STALENESS, NOTHING TERRIBLE BUT JUST NOT AS FRESH AND CRISP AS EXPECTED.