Bought on a Thursday, opened on the Friday, a 473ml can into whatever was clean. Hazy straw, the head thick enough to sit proud of the rim for a full minute.
Citra / Mosaic over a pale / oat / wheat base, finishing at 8.2% with 50 IBU. The restraint in that grain bill is the reason the rest of it works.
Spend a minute with the glass before drinking, because the nose is the best thing here. The palate is honest and a little plain after that introduction, though nothing about it is wrong.
It holds together across a second glass, which is not guaranteed at 8.2%. The bitterness accumulates rather than fatigues, and the aroma is still doing something by the bottom of the second pour, which is the real test of a double ipa.
The haze is stable rather than sloppy, and it has not been used to hide anything. There is no yeast bite and no chalky residue in the finish, which puts it ahead of most of the shelf.
Against the rest of the ipa shelf this holds its own comfortably. It is not the beer that will convert anybody to the style, but it is the one you reach for once the converting is done, and at $9.50 / 473ml it is honestly priced.
Bought at Brewery only (allocation at the time of writing). Split it. 8.2% arrives quietly and leaves loudly.
Best drunk fresh, in company, with nobody taking notes. We took notes anyway.
