Simcoalition
Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant

 

 

 

Poured into a small chalice - color is hazy gold, head presents 1 inch thick with a soft tan/off white color made up of fine bubbles that linger well and lace the glass nicely. Still a 1/2 top after 10 mins or so.

Smell is a bit subdued, even after some warming (tasting this outside on a warm evening) - light malt, maybe some oats, hops are neutral with light citrus, herbal notes.

Taste has a bit more fruity/berry like hop quality - malt is present with some light bready notes but hops take over with citrus, herbal notes, subtle berry flavor.

Mouthfeel is on the bitter side, a bit sharper than some NEIPAs that have softened quality from additions.

Overall a brew that makes you think it leans to the soft/juicy side but seems more about the look of an NEIPA with a soft hop start but bitter, spicy finish.

A hazy hoppy tasty IPA. Loved this beer. Very tasty with citrus notes - scent and taste. Pour with big head from 16 oz can. Very creamy and smooth. Easy to drink. Glad I have 3 more.

Manayunk Brewing Co. "Simcoalition"
16 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating
$3.79 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: Lovely, cloudy, yellow-orange body beneath a full head of just slightly off-white foam. I was able to pour it carefully, getting it to rise up out of the glass like meringue, at least two-fingers thick after some settling. And now I have to wait as it just doesn't want to drop. That's OK, I'll trade some time for excellent head retention, and hopefully that'll convert into excellent lacing as well. The aroma is citrusy and resinous and otherwise fruity. It's made up of Simcoe, Citrus, and Mosaic (one of my favorite hops). It's pretty bright, and I'm guessing that when the creamy head settles a little bit more I'll be able to swirl it and get even more out of it. On to the flavor. Damn, that's a pretty solid hop punch. It seems almost a little green, as if it was just packaged. There must be a massive amount of dry hopping in this one. I'm finding a lot more berry in the flavor, which I didn't get in the aroma, but it's also not as citrusy. And it's earthy and a hint spicy, and piney and now I'm guessing that berry-like fruitiness is actually coming from the Simcoe whereas I initially thought it was the Mosaic. Of course it doesn't matter, and they're probably both contributing anyway. At least they've held the Citra back a little bit, letting the Simcoe shine. There's probably just a little bit for support. So I've got some very nice lacing at this point, and I think I've got to go with a 4.25. It's not the best it could be to garner a 4.25 but it makes it, and I've still got a solid surface covering of thin but creamy foam. Taking a step back, the base malt is a simple, golden and grainy malt but it's got some girth and substance to it (just no caramel malt); and it's firmly bitter, at least enough to balance it so that it doesn't seem sweet upfront, and then enough to appear in the finish and help dry it out. I guess what I'm saying is that it's not a "zero IBU" beer, or as softly bitter as some New England-style "juicy" IPAs, but neither is it a brash and burning IBU beast. It's balanced. The spiciness continues in the dry finish as well and now I'm think that's not hops. Nor is it alcohol. Perhaps there's some rye in the grain bill. That's an interesting idea if they've used that to help balance it. On the other hand, it's also fairly earthy and so maybe I'm getting off-track as that's got to be from hops. Regardless I guess, there's a lot going on. This isn't a beer you just drink without noticing it. So let's wrap this up as I've missed the mouthfeel, it's medium bodied and crisp but then it settles to become smoother. The alcohol never shows. Conclusion: juicy but also earthy and spicy; a solid IPA despite a lower than usual level of bitterness; worth trying.
Review# 6,036

 

I was pleasantly surprised with this Hazy IPA. I have had plenty of good NE/juicy IPAs recently and I gotta say I can't find anything wrong with this one. Light in color, but translucent, with a slight orange tint. Can't see through it. Not much head to it. JUICY. Read the description on the can, as it is accurate, when fresh at least. 7.1% alchohol. Good price at $10.99 for a 4 pack of tall boys. Had others recently that were not as good, yet more expensive.

4.25/5 stars, well deserved. Good job on this one Manayunk BC (out of Philly).

 

Pours a cloudy, IPA light orange, nice strong aroma, the hops come thru, taste is a litte weak for all the aroma that you get, still a drinkable IPA, just not "Hoppy" enough.

 

Appearance: orange in color with a 1" head that hung around a while.

Smell: tropical fruits were mild on the nose.

Taste: caramel, pineapple, mango, some fruitiness, some pine, and an earthy bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Crisp throughout.

Overall: this was a tasty beer with a nice flavor profile.

 

Pours a straw color with a finger of head. The nose is somewhat piney. The flavor profile is definitely hop forward with herbs and pine as the feature flavor notes.

32 oz growler poured into a pint glass.
Purchased at Trenton Road Take Out in Levittown, PA.

Appearance
Cloudy golden yellow with a 1/2 finger of head. Moderate carbonation.

Nose
Mango, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, and dank.

Taste
Plenty dank with notes of overripe mango, wintergreen, watermelon, and pine resin. Peach, passion fruit, and a touch of pineapple juice. Light pale maltiness with dabs of honey and caramel. Finishes with dry pine and a catty linger.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, oily, silky, crisp, and semi-juicy with a moderate bitterness.

Overall
A nice Northeast style IPA. If the bitterness was a little more restrained this would be a gem!