Bearded Iris Cuda Double IPA

The lovely folks at Bearded Iris have brought another beer, and I have to say that I look forward to their new beers about as much as a new Lagunitas. I mean, they don't consistently score as high as Lagunitas does, but they are so much outside the box and yet have such a distinct brand flavor that I just love these guys.

This isn't as juice-like as most of the other beers. It's like the orange drink to the other beers' orange juice. The top settles quickly, and there is simply a light dusting of bubbles on top as if there had been the slightest of snowfalls, and the few flakes left were blowing around in the wind right on top of the sidewalk. The aroma is citrus and bread, and it is thick enough to slice.

First sip is pretty damn good. It's more citrus than most DIPAs I've had, and the malt is struggling to hold its own against these fierce hops, but the hops have simply decided that they were going to make a statement with their taste, and anyone who doesn't like it can take a hike. Fair enough, I guess. If you're going to go for an all-out hoppy beer, do it with gusto.

Tip-in is orange and mango with tangerine backing it up while the carbonation does a little jig around the sides of the mouth. The middle approaches with a more baked bread base with the citrus and now even some tropical amusement on top, just hanging around looking to see what happens next. The finish is a muted bitterness with the bread turning to hard pretzels and the citrus starting to go sour a bit.

Bottom Line: A hop-front DIPA is still a good DIPA in my opinion.

3.75/5