Into The Fire
DuClaw Brewing Co.

I was not kidding, during New DelMarVa (+ DC) DuClaw Sunday ( Week 778), when I said that my diving into my DuClaw backlog would be like diving into the depths of the Marianas Trench! I am going to be with them for a while to come, all in support of The CANQuest (tm). This is simply CANother in this ongoing madness.

From the CAN: "Brewed and CANned by DuClaw Brewing Co. Baltimore, Maryland"; "NEIPA"; "Hops[:] Citra[,] Galaxy"; "I wouldn't take back a moment/Not one miserable moment/I'll give it all, 'til there's nothing/I'd walk in the fire/Into the fire/I'd walk into the fire/Into the fire/Into the fire"; "Craft Be Cherished. Rules Be Damned."

I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug. I was fascinated as it foamed up to create just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head with decent retention. Color was a deeply-hazy/lightly-cloudy Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7). Nose was very tropical fruity (mango, papaya, guava, passion fruit) underlain by a light grapefruit citrusiness. Mmm. I have said before that I liked the tropical hops when they were a novelty, but when they became the new big thing, I beCAN to lose interest. My interest has been renewed by the blending of old skool AmeriCAN hops with these Southern Hemisphere hops to give me the best of both worlds, figuratively & literally. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was rather unexpected with not only the aforementioned fruits making an appearance, but also pineapple. A caramel malt sweetness was also beginning to assert itself & I beCAN to envision a tropical fruit (not just pineapple) upside-down cake! OMFG. I CAN totes envision using tropical fruit salad as pineapple & then sprinkling it with lemon & grapefruit zest! Yum. Finish was semi-dry with the hops not providing enough bitterness for me to think of it as simply "dry". YMMV.

 

 

NEIPA? Certainly looks like a NEIPA, but taste, mouthfeel is more straight-up IPA, though a very good IPA! Interesting take on the style, but IMJO lacks the "juiciness" of a lot of NEIPA's I've had...reminds me of Stone's Fear-Movie-Lions.

A: The beer is very hazy light yellow in color—too hazy to see if there is any visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that died down, consistently leaving a short head covering the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of citrusy hops are present in the nose—limes seem to stand out in particular—along with notes of passionfruit.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of limes and passionfruit with a light amount of accompanying bitterness from the hops.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little juicy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is a little more bitter and less juicy compared to other beers in the style, but has interesting and unique aromas and flavors of lime citrus.

Serving type: can

Canned on 8/20/18. Poured into a Teku glass. Claims to be a NEIPA, initial pour was fairly clear. I mixed the can a little and continued to pour this got the beer a bit hazier. Citra and galaxy are an excellent hop combination. This one had a lot of citrus notes and a bit of peach. Taste was similar to the aroma. It was a little more bitter than you typically get with NEIPAs. Mouthfeel was a bit thin for the style. Overall not a bad beer but this can lacked a lot of qualities I associate with a NEIPA.

 

 

 

 

 

8/2/18 canning; features Citra and Galaxy hops... Hazy, medium-golden yellow body with a coupla fingers of white foam... Nice flavor profile of pith and pine - moderately bitter, not too sweet... Additional elements of fruits are kept subdued and the beer has a clear and clean, fresh presentation... Plush carbonation and a cleansing finish... I'm very impressed...

Poured from a 16oz can into a speiglau ipa glass.

Aroma is a dry herbal not much fruity flavor.

Taste is not very New England. Very herbal and light. Not much body.

A pretty good beer, but not what I expected.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours slightly hazy, gold in color with 1/4 inch head. Taste is sugared oranges, lime zest, and tangerine. Medium bodied, high carbonation, sweet. Nice and juicy. One of the better DuClaw IPAs I have had. Should have gotten ore. Really good IPA.