Splintered Sunlight
Long Trail Brewing Co.

 

Picked this up not too long ago at the Bottle King in Livingston as I hadn't had anything from Long Trail in quite a while. I expected a decent take on the style that would be lovely to have on a sunny day up in the mountains of northern New England and that's pretty much what this turned out to be. No doubt that this was a sun-kissed IPA that was plenty hazy and easygoing without feeling weak in any way...

No surprise that this had a hazy, golden hue to it with a few bits of dark sediment floating around in it and a plentiful, fluffy head that never fully settled as it took it's time to dissipate. Enough lacing was left behind as much of it was in the form of a doubly thick ring a third of the way down my pint glass and a few deep rings much closer to the bottom. Lots of orange, tangerine, pine-sol, and lemon tang in the nose as the taste as some peach, dank pineapple, melon, grass, and solvent emerged in the taste once this fully warmed up. Slick and full of bright sunshine, this was not a session beer or something to be taken lightly as there were equal parts green and sweet to give this a well-rounded flavor profile with a ton of sun-kissed citrus slickness left on the palate once this finally went down.

There was enough potency to be had here although I would have reached for another once I finished this off. A lively carbonation, full body, and earthy, floral aftertaste added to this beer's depth and complexity as this wasn't quite a pure juice bomb. Dated 11/18 of last year on the bottom of the can, this would be a wonderful beer for the summer once you've found your campsite and settled in for the day. For tonight, this was a lesser version of a Lawson's beer, but just as enjoyable when all was said and done.

Picked-up a four-pack of cans at Luke's in Plymouth for about fourteen dollars. My seventh brew reviewed from these guys, have had many more. Canned on date in January. This is fine, nothing special.

 

Pours orange/red like grapefruit juice with a thick white head. Aroma is mild citrus with some floral notes. Flavor follows with hop citrus dominant and good malt sweetness. Feel is spot on NEIPA with a rich juicy thickness. Overall, a very drinkable brew.

 

Pours an opaque dirty straw color with a finger and a half of head. The nose has very modest notes of tropical fruit. The flavor has some citrus upfront with fairly potent hop bitterness on the finish. Surprisingly, there is a nice seeing feel at the very end.

Pours a hazy opaque deep apricot color with a nice creamy/foamy head which lingers. Smell is juicy tropical fruits,mango,guava,orange,peach. Taste is about on par with a carbonated fruit cocktail(cherries included)with some alcohol coming through, this so well balanced I can't tell where the hops drift into sweetness. Feels a tad bit chewy, finishes juicy. Overall if you like LIMBO I think you may enjoy this. Nice addition to Long Trail, one of my go to breweries,

 

From a 16 oz. can stamped 1118206298M. Sampled Dec 11. 2020.

The appearance is mostly what you would expect from a hazy NEIPA with its hazy looking orange-yellow appearance and modest white head.

An array of tropical fruit notes greet the nose including pineapple, pear, apricot, and orange. This is balanced off in the background withy a white breadiness.

Medium or better body.

The taste is sweet to start but those tropical fruit characters I alluded to roar in to fill this out and evolve to a bitter end. Decently done.

Canned on 3/17/20
Opened and reviewed on: 4/9/20

Pours in looking like a burnt orange and golden hazy liquid. A tower of crystal white foam is creamy and thick. Fat rings of lacing hang tight and sticky.

The aroma has an abundance of fresh hop cone aromatics: black pepper and citrus, piney earth and mango chunks, grainy golden malt lemon zest sums it up well.

The mouthfeel starts zippy and zesty with a malty bite that mellows quick and smooths out soft and even slightly malty in the middle, finishing dry and grainy.

Flavor profile starts high with orange and earthy zesty hits, malted grains of golden wheat and then dry earthy hops dominate quickly there after. Orange citrus with black pepper, lemon peel, mango and sharp pine roll around in different levels throughout. The malt might feel a bit to hefty and slick, but it certainly brings some big flavor. Sweet fruits with zesty earthy balance that is actually very complex, if not a bit muddled overall.