Hop Tarts (Strawberry Banana Milkshake IPA)
DuClaw Brewing Co.

ONE PINT can
Served in a pokal glass

This beer pours amber and hazy. When held to the light I see lots of floaties. It is topped with an inch of beige head that leaves little lacing.

Hints of strawberry and citrus. Banana is nowhere to be found.

There is a lot more hops presence than adjuncts. The strawberry is very feint while the banana is missing. Nice citrus flavor.

Full bodied with a creamy mouthfeel

Decent IPA but lacking on the promised adjuncts.

 

As if the dominance of hops wasn't enough, there's a consideration of fruit that comes with Duclaw's red berry and tropical fruit IPA. Its a hoppy and tart combination that's just as likely meant for the pastry shelves as it is for the beer aisle.

Pouring pale and hazy gold in color, Hop Tarts Strawberry Banana Milkshake IPA edition casts a scent of those tangy red berry, citrus, over ripened tropical fruit, herb and baked goods above a creamy off-white foam. Firm grain sweetness graces the tongue with shortcake, honey, cream, cereal and an overall doughy maltiness.

As the bitter and tangy flavors unfold on the middle palate, its the fruitiness of strawberry that bring a cobbler-like presence of berry, citrus, tropical and cookie dough. Bananas add a sense of banana split but with a nearly rotten tropical presence. But the hops aren't completely overshadowed; they back up the fruitiness with their own orange, grapefruit, lime and a pineapple medley. Trending bittersweet, a bite of fruit peels and fruit skins lead right into a tart, off-sour taste as a somber hint of balance.

Full bodied and trending heavy to the palate, the hop's drying resins do little to balance the fruity beer making it a heavy, lumbering session of effort and palate fatigue.