Mind Circus
Russian River Brewing Company

While I shy from AIPAs, a balanced hazy I am glad to drink. So it is with Mind Circus.
It Looks decent, but not lots unlike its NEIPA brethren. However Smells step it up to a full smorgasbord of fruit, although I'd like one to stand out. The balance improves further when the hops become more apparent in the Taste; and while it happens immediately, the hops do not overpower and steal the show... allowing the fruit to finish first. Soft and full-mouthed from the wheat and oats. Refreshing and calming.

As for the excellent Overall Hugs, that's for RRBC as they are one of the few micros I know that can appeal to hopheads and maltheads (like me) almost equally. Bravo Bros !

 

The pint glass arrived nearly full after it was supplied by a tap. There's a thin just-off-white head on top of a hazy, dull and apricot-amber colored brew. It's not particularly aromatic, as oats in the wort can stiffle that. Maybe there's some hops for the nose, but there's just as much starch. The taste is a little more bolder, but certainly not exciting, which isn't the intent of this beer. There's not much help from the starches, save for a little sweetness. The hop character is better and although it's not a hard one, there is a pleasant hop bite to the finish. It's resinous, yet clean, drying out during the finish. There's enough there to consider this as a coastal hybrid, as few New England style IPAs have this type of bite. The stratified glass lacing is exceptional, a good clue to the high quality of the mouthfeel. Overused, oats in the wort can make it sticky, rather than soft and smooth. This is soft and smooth. Overall, it's short for the nose and not a well balanced IPA. But, that gets mitigated by a pleasant hoppiness and something nice to look at.

In my opinion this beer is delicious. Smooth delivery on the flavor, nice combo of sweet piney to bitter. I almost want to say (sweet) melon/mango backtones but just the slightest touch. I drink it from the bottle so no pour. The smell is somewhat malty and sweet. Overall, one of the most enjoyable beers I’ve ever had

 

 

12oz pour for $10 at When Pigs Fly Kittery.

Presents hazy yeloow with a short head of white. Moderate retention and lacing.
Dry and pith citrus in the nose, not very pungent. Orange zest, grapefruit pith.
Light bodied with a crisp mouthfeel. A bit watery.
Pithy, somewhat juicy on the palate. Grapefruit zest, orange pulp, hint of peach.
Finishes dry with a balancing bitterness and zero malt.
Really dissapointing, this is a swing and miss for the style from the Hopfather, and you don't even get a pint for $12 after tax and tip!

Massively hoppy for a hazy...dry hooped the bejesus out of this. Tons of hop aromas and flavors. A "medley" of hops. It is potently hoppy if you know how to taste and detect dry hopped goodness. It's rather "bitey" and carbonated, so it cuts through big food like steaks and funky cheeses well, better than most soft NEIPAs. I am a fan. Wouldn't want to drink a bunch in a row without food. It's a big beer.

Hopwise I'd say it has a bit of everything but not one hop flavor dominates. I definitely get the mosaic hops though, some funky amalgamation which is amazing. Intense mango, tangerine, blueberry, papaya....with underlying earthy/dank notes.

Draft at Ale Tales. Hop aromas. A bit watery but easy drinking. Like a west coast but fir haze appearance and finish. Lace curtain. Very good drinker. Grapefruit tasting.

 

Poured at 48 degrees. Bottled 12/08/25

Look: Hazy pale yellow with a medium white head that has good retention and leaves nice lacing.
Smell: Sweeter fruit that is pleasant and inviting, albeit a tad light.
Taste: Stone fruit upfront transitions into a gentle bitter finish. Very delicate, very well balanced.
Feel: Rather thick in the mouth but with the nice carbonation that Russian River is renowned for.
Overall: Definitely a solid hazy, but will it stand out amongst its peers? Probably not. I’d still recommend this brew but RR does West Coast IPAs best.

500ml bottle from John's Marketplace Beaverton. Hazy orange golden pour, one finger fluffy white head. Mild grapefruity aroma, fruity. Taste brings minor citrus zest, juicy flavors. So well balanced and really tasty. I expect nothing less from the masters at Russian River.

Poured from 510mL bottle into a tulip. Bottled 10/27/25, so about 2 months old at this time.

Appearance: pale golden-yellow hue with a thick head of frothy white foam atop.

Smell: a really good mix of stone fruit, passionfruit, and mango, atop a somewhat sweet malt base. A classic hazy, and right in my “yum zone”.

Taste: sweet malt with dose of apricot and peach, along with some passionfruit and perhaps some citrus peel character. There’s a little hop burn, but overall, it’s not bad at all.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a moderate carbonation and decent creaminess.

Overall: a decent enough hazy; perhaps not my favorite, but it’s a style I like. The aroma is great, though!

 

Powder dry in the mouth. Tightly composed, like your sister.

not sure if freshness was a factor where i had this, but it left a bit to be desired, i mean this is russian river right? all the beer, but especially the hoppy stuff, has to be measured against the highest standard, and this really didnt land for me the way i expected it to, but neat to see them doing a hazy. murky with a matte look to it, lots of body but also lots of carbonation and head, so not dead weight like some of these can be, despite its thickness, very starchy. the aroma is fine, maybe a tad tired or fading, but its largely uninteresting even without that, and i cant help but wonder if this is rated so highly because its russian river, or if mine really had fallen off farther than i thought. i get some soft lemon and muddled lemongrass up front, some white peach sweetness pushing a tad tropical, and a honeydew sort of juiciness in the nose, but also a lot of oatmeal heaviness and almost overly earthy graininess, juicy sure, but lacking brightness and pop to me, which is also true in the flavor, a little more of the lemon side there, it takes on a sort of cleaner note though, and i get some light phenolic character coming in, could be thiols from the hops or something, but its odd in here, a coconut hit is nice, some bitterness later but in an almost green sense, like too many pellets, vegetal without adding something necessary, i dont know, i wanted this to hit at an epic level and it just doesnt, maybe i am being too critical of a beer thats still plenty enjoyable, i guess i just expect these guys to always blow my socks off. it feels a little chewy, heavy, short of messy, but theres a lot of meat to this, some sweetness running through it but it doesnt linger. white wine as it warms, generic citrus, some bite. fine but well short of amazing. i will have to catch this at certifiable freshness and compare, for now i will assume that is the issue...

 

Pours totally ipaque, light head that quickly fades with good lacing. A bit too carbonated for my tastes, but the nose is ripe mango and tropical, and the taste follows. Really delicious, glad I found it!

510 ml Bottle
Bottled On: 07/09/25

Poured into a Trillium glass a pretty nice cloudy pale yellow color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger plus white head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is very nice, hoppy, malty, with a very nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple, peach, mango, melon, grape, nectarine), very nice diesel like. The taste is very nice, hoppy, malty, with a very nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, pineapple, peach, grapefruit, mango, melon, grape, nectarine), very nice diesel like. Medium body, ABV hidden very well, with a pretty nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, this is a very tasty beer. Orange Julius! Addictive! Milkshake!

550ml bottle poured into a teku
About 6 weeks old

A- pours a slightly hazy pale yellow with a one finger foamy white head that reduces to a film

S- white grape, papaya, pineapple, grassy, light tangerine zest

T- fruity tropical notes of mango, melon and peach. mid-palate gives some white grape, zesty orange and grapefruit. The finish is grassy and zesty with a linger of citrus

M- medium body with medium carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns creamy into a slightly warming finish