Hop Tarts (Vanilla Milkshake IPA)
DuClaw Brewing Co.

 

Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a golden/orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of light tropical fruits. Taste is tropical fruits, just a hint of vanilla, mild bitterness. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer, but I would have liked to see the vanilla more pronounced.

 

 

 

 

I was skeptical of this beer because it was billed as a "milkshake IPA," but I was pleasantly surprised. It has a light flavor that is not overly sweet, and it has a very smooth mouthfeel. Definitely superior to other dessert-themed beers. I'd buy it again.

 

 

Hop Tarts (Vanilla Milkshake IPA) pours an orangish, hazy color with a big long lasting lacing head. The aroma is pretty earthy. The flavor is earthy, with vanilla, and creamy. Good creamy feel. Overall, a lightly flavored milkshake IPA, with lots of earth.

 

 

 

 

As if hop dominance wasn't enough, there's a consideration of pastry spices that come with Duclaw's milkshake-forward Imperial IPA. It's hoppy and creamy combination is something perhaps more meant for birthday cake.

Pouring light golden-straw in color and heavily translucent with haze, Hop Tarts Vanilla Milkshake IPA casts a scent of tropical, citrus, herb and vanilla cream above a frothy white foam. Gentle sweetness graces the tongue with angel food cake, batter and vanilla wafers.

As the bitter and cream flavors unfold on the middle palate, its the fruitiness of hops that bring a bright presence of orange, grapefruit, passionfruit and mango. But the hops aren't completely overshadowed; they also add an herbal and peppery bitterness of spruce, greens and lighter hemp. Trending moderately bitter, a bite of fruit peels and children's chewable vitamins lead right into a bittersweet of bitter cream persists.

Medium bodied and trending full, the beer's juicy presence is a juxtaposition to the hop's drying resins as the beer finishes bitter and creamy with a medium long afterglow of vanilla-wrapped bitter greens.

16 ounce can poured into a becher.
Canned 1/10/23

Almost opaque yellow-orange with hazy clouds and loads of suspended sediment. The firm off-white head was more than two fingers, very persistent and leaves lace. The foam picks up orange coloring from the body when I take a drink.

The nose is moderate in strength and has an overall tropical fruit impression. I can pick out pear and mango. Tasting medium sweet and juicy with the same tropical hops from the nose. At the finish, it cleans up nicely and leaves you with a mild citrus peel bitterness. I only got a few small tastes of vanilla towards the bottom of the glass. Medium-full bodied with a soft and somewhat pillowy feel and just a touch of tongue prickle on the back end.

This wasn’t over the top and was pretty good, especially for a style that I don’t usually partake of. I could definitely see mixing one of these into a summertime poolside drinking session.