Since the moment I read about this, I knew I needed it. A 4.2% ABV, 50 IBU Brewhouse Rarity selection that uses Galaxy, Amarillo, and Sorachi Ace hops. I'm sold. Flying Dog is my favorite brewery, and they decided to do a one off batch per month for their Brewhouse Rarity series. We, in Ohio, missed the first 3 selections (Chipotle Dark Ale, Green Tea Imperial Stout, and Pumpernickel IPA), but we were able to get April's selection (Big Black Wit). So with that being said, let me muster my inner Gonzo and venture into this fantastic looking and smelling brew.
After a night of mojitos and cheap beer, the body calls for something strong flavored, possibly to shake away the shock that AB actually has a decent brew (Rolling Rock in can form). This fine specimen of a beer might do the trick. As I poured this, I was overwhelmed with a lemony, citrusy blast that was sheer bliss upon the olfactory senses. The color is a yellow-orange color, and hazy. Hazy like last night's romp in the front yard with the neighbors. Strange memories of potential lawsuits and throwing a cat in the shower start to make their way out of the depths of obscured darkness as I bend over to catch the aroma of this. There is very little head on this, which doesn't surprise me as the growler was filled yesterday. Analyzing this more, there's strong citrus notes with almost a peach/apricot aroma lending a hand. Not much, but a whisper from the malt plays from time to time. As I raise this up to take my initial sip, I'm distracted by the kid cranking the volume on some half-wit waterhead cartoon. Fucker, you don't need to have the volume halfway up to hear a bunch of annoying noises and sounds with no god damned plot.
I finally take my first sip of this and was instantly blown back. I debate if I share this with Jennie, as she is in the kitchen making some sort of French cuisine a la Julia Child's cookbook. It is, after all Bastille Day, some sort of French holiday celebrating the French Revolution. I feel like having some cake when I'm done with this beer. But I seem to off topic. Ah, now, where were we? Oh, yes. The flavor profile on this. Oh, yes. This is something else. For a lighter body, lighter ABV beer, there's a lot happening here. There's the initial pine and citrus burst that gives way to a hint of the lighter malts, then there's a blast of lemongrass, peach, and grapefruit zest that fades into a pine/ citrus zest bitterness that rides out the rest of the wave. Lighter body, slightly creamy, very resiny on the backend, lighter carbonation to make this an awesome porch-sipping brew.
I need this constantly in my life, instead of this being a one off batch. Oh, Flying Dog, why do you torture me so? As a side note, however, I would like to point out that we are some of the elite few who have reviewed this twisted ale (3 reviews on BA and 13 on RateBeer).
5/5 caps
-Nathan-
Yes, it's Bastille Day, the day when the French stormed the Bastille and kicked off the French Revolution in 1789. I'm channeling my inner Julia today, putting together a lovely menu of beef stew braised with onions and red wine, a broccoli gratin, and crusty French bread. The chocolate mousse is chilling in the fridge, keeping the remainder of the growler company. Let them eat mousse, my dear. Let them eat mousse. And oh, how I think a lovely chocolate mint stout (such as is also in the fridge) would make for a fanstastic addition to the mousse. But that's a cooking segment for another episode.
Nathan made me smell this as soon as he poured his glass. I fell in love. The smell is divine: pine, grapefruit, a hint of pineapple that I pick up on, but Nathan does not. I find the pineapple note comes through even more in the taste than in the aroma. Oh, wait, there's that peach note He-With-Boy-Parts mentioned. It sneaks in toward the very end of the sip. Other than that, his description was very similar to what I am experiencing.
My only beef with session IPAs is that they tend to lack the body to complement the strong hop flavors. They tend to taste more like a hop tea than a full beer to me. This is just my opinion; I've had the same opinion with Founders All-Day IPA and Lagunitas Daytime. There's almost a watery flavor that runs underneath the beer profile. I prefer the heavier body that the malts add to a traditional IPA. That is not saying anything bad about this beer or the other session IPAs we've tasted; all have great hop flavors, it's just not a style I prefer.
I'm back to the kitchen, so that dinner is on the table before midnight tonight. I find that spending a day in the kitchen is very therapeutic, creating a multitude of culinary delights for the family. Today, it's just what I need.
4.6/5 caps
-Jennie
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