The beer is a hazy deep amber, and I didn't have to coax out quite as much head as I did with the last tailgate beer that I had. This beer is very different to the nose; it has a deep resin that seems to alter the citrus effects of the hops. Instead of grapefruit, I'm hit with a lot more pineapple and other tropical fruits. It's not off-putting, but it's a lot different than its stablemate.First sip is very smooth. I didn't expect that from an IPA, but that's what I got in the sip. The pineapple makes it very crisp while at the same time the malt seems to have smoothed it out quite a bit. It seems very tart at first, but everything seems to sweeten by the end. But let's see how this does with a proper gulp.
Tip-in is very light carbonation tingle with very gentle mangoes and pineapple sitting in the background. The middle turns the pineapple up to about a five, and other citrus fruits join the fray. The crusty malt seems to have a handle on things, and it doesn't let anything get out of hand. The finish is a bitter and tart wave, and it runs across the tongue followed swiftly by the sweetness of the pineapple.
Bottom Line: This is definitely one of the better Tailgate beers I've had.
3.5/5
