Liquid Hot Magma
Zero Gravity Craft Brewery

 

 

 

 

Zero Gravity Craft Brewery "Liquid Hot Magma"
16 fl. oz. can coded "1 5 CANNED ON 08/20/22 12:30". Sampled on 10/02/22.
$11.99/4-pk @ 5 Points Beer, Montgomeryville, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: A thumb's width or more of white foam tops a hazy golden body. In the nose I'm getting notes of apple, citrus, and berries over a delicate, sweetish malt base. The flavor tells a different tale, which is quite unusual. I'm finding orange, pineapple, cedar, and coconut. It's interesting, and yet odd at the same time. Is there even a garlic/onion thing going on like in Summit hops? I'm still getting some apple in the flavor, and of course citrus, but not a lot of berry. It's got a firm bitterness to it, and there's a note of lime that lingers in the finish, making it taste almost like a real lime - some flavor, and bitterness, but not the acidity or mineralish character. This is definitely an odd bird and I can't tell yet whether I like it or not. It's akward in the way the notes come at you, and not what I normally call rounded, meaning that everything ties together and works well. While I'm thinking about it I'll note that the head has held up well and although it's thin I still have a solid and creamy surface covering beneath patches, spots, and splashes of lace along the glass above. Back to the flavor, it's sweetish and fruity/citrusy and a little bit acidic and then bitter, dry, spicy, earthy, and citrusy as the fruit fades in the finish. Bitterness and spiciness linger along with lime. In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp. I still haven't decided if I like this beer or not but that doesn't matter, it doesn't really affect my review. The appearance is good but it's more of a 4 than a 4.25. The aroma is pretty firm and interesting, so that's good. The flavor takes an odd turn, and I think it's a little weird in and of itself, but it's not off-putting. It makes me think of Sabro, Summit, Sorachi Ace, and Strata hops. I was about to say I could take it or leave it but then I thought 'I wish I had more' and lo and behold there's alittle bit left in the can. At the very least I think this beer is definitely worth trying because it's unusual. It's complex, and it'll keep you on your toes trying to figure out just exactly what it is you're tasting.
Review #8,318

 

16oz can poured into a becher.

A: Deep golden color, almost approaching amber. uniform haze is barely opaque. Billowy white head retains extremely well. Very chunky lacing.

S: Bursting with passionfruit and mandarin orange, pineapple, guava, peach. Meyer lemon. Faint whiffs of green grass clippings. Simple grain base is doughy with a slight toasty grain character. It is so pronounced and tropical, it isn't even funny. This is one of the most memorable noses I've sniffed all year in the IPA world, and that says a LOT.

T: Orange juice, pineapple, hints of mango and peach. Squeeze of meyer lemon and some pithiness. Tart passion fruit for an instant. There's an almost creamy pina colada impression too. Some green oiliness and perhaps the faintest hint of sweet onion buried far in the background. Quick brush of alcohol. Doughy grain base, slight toastiness. Bitterness is fairly minimal. Peaches and cream sort of finish with some green-ness.

M: Medium-full body. Even creamy and full/fluffy feel from stem to stern. Cloud-like. Well carbonated and airy, without being sharp. There's plenty of lift, but the easy and creamy texture is never broke. Very slight hop tannin grip.

O: In a sea of hazy IPAs, this is a true standout. Get it in a blind tasting with all the hype-bombs and watch it mop the floor with the field. It's so well-focused, with a simple and straightforward grain bill that adds awesome texture and backbone, and the hopping is truly unique. Ridiculously fresh and tropical to the point you could swear it was made with actual fruit. There's no hop burn, no muddiness, and it drinks so easily and sits lightly in the stomach. This is hazy IPA at its absolute pinnacle.

The first crushable NEDIPA!!! Experimental hops do the magic. Lemon and lime do the rest. Sublime bitterness and well carbonated. Great brew; Chapeau!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another one. A pseudo IPA likely without much of an essential ingredient, barley malt. How can you tell? First, it's the big foamy mess on top of the liquid contents emptied from a pint can into a clear glass liter mug. The ridiculous mess recedes quickly, unevenly, unattractively and with slight lacing. Usually, this also means a brew lacking body and complexity, but we shall taste. The aroma is weak, with just a little wet hoppiness present. It rises above a dirty amber colored beer. To drink, the body is way too light for something in this category. But, there is enough depth to the sweet background to compliment a nice hop presence that seems more earthy than the self described fruit references. The ABV is included only as a positive taste inclusion.This is one more example of a not so bad IPA that would only be improved with more barley malt.