The light gold beer has a white head that is patchy like most IPAs, and it has lacing very similar to the last 2X beer I had from Southern Tier. The aroma sets it apart from its sibling, as the aroma is heavy with wet, doughy malt more than anything. Under the malt is a smattering of tropical fruits that enhance the smell quite a bit.First sip is less malt than the nose had. It has lots of the tropical fruits mixed in here, but the malt seems to only kind of hit in the back-end to tamp down the bitterness. This is just fine by me. Instead of a hit of bitter, I get the dough with a bit of flour on top.
Tip-in is light carbonation tingle with grapefruit and mango leading the charge. The middle brings a bit of pine into the mix as the concoction really delves into the meat of the fruits. The finish is a sharpness on the tongue that is felt more than tasted and the pine subsides to let the very light malt take care of the bitterness, as it is supposed to.
Bottom Line: More sublime than its sister, and it is all the better for it.
4.5/5
