Manticore's Manifest
Abomination Brewing Company

 

 

Delicious beverage...label says it's a 10% triple IPA, but this is way too easy drinking (dangerously so)! Drying, with a white wine-ish, citusy aftertaste. A unique, well done twist on the style!

Laying down the law on Imperial IPA, Abomination unleashes this hound of a beer. Rife with fruit flavors and pungently hoppy, Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Rakau and Phantasm compounds do anything but play nice.

But Manticore's Manifest is nice as it pours a deep golden orange, slathered with a dense ivory froth. Spicy aromas of peppery hops and vodka skirt underneath a rich fruit bouquet of melon, stone fruit, tropical fruit and citrus. Sweet and rounded once on the tongue, the malts provide a creamy and sense grain profile of caramel, honey and poundcake.

Once the malts calm down, what's left of the sweetness wraps around the fruits for a cocktail of branch-ripe and caramelized candy impressions. Pineapple, orange, peach, apricot, dragonfruit and lychee are all bold and juicy with hints of blush wine and cantaloup never far behind. A bitter taste late is a departure of the fruit fueled start up as they provide extra dryness with a sharply resinous bite.

Full bodied, creamy and warming on the palate, the beer finishes malty-dry with a strong bitter complement that extend into an infinite bitter aftertaste of cannabis, pine, botanical herbs and fortified wine once more.

What got my attention is that this beer contains Phantasm Powder, an ingredient that multiple google searches have indicated is derived from New Zealand Marlborough Souv Blanc grapes and rich in "thiol precursors," which amplify tropical notes. Fascinating. From the top there is a thick quality to this which lends excessive juiciness, followed by waves of complex hoppy citrus notes which settles into a sweet pear and white sparkly wine taste. The thing that sets this apart from other IIIPAs is the intensity of the flavor. Compared to other 10 percenters like Grimm Tetraplex, Bell's Hopslam, or Nightmare's Drawn and Quartered, this one pops.

 

 

 

Can dated 2/2/22 into pint glass. Pours a hazy gold with a nice off-white head. Great lacing! Initial impression is sweet pineapple, mango, spices, and orange. Mouthfeel is soft, thick, and smooth. Very (dangerously) drinkable. Finish is sweet and sticky. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable NEIPA (although I'd put it in the DIPA category, personally).

Modest head production, with a beautiful two fingers of off-white foam from a pretty hard pour. Retention is OK; lacing is excellent. Body is nearly opaque, turbid, and the color of orange skin (so, orange, I guess).

Herbal and bright aroma, with notes of kitchen herbs, pepper, mild earthy pungency, tangerine, cream, guava, papaya, and lemon.

Lovely and creamy on the palate. Exceptional drinkability. Flavors of cream, white bread, light pepper, honey, papaya, mango, pineapple, tangerine, guava, white grape, and peach.