Smith & Lentz Mosaic IPA

Have I gotten jaded when I scoff at a 6.5% ABV on an IPA as being way too low? I mean, there was a time not too long ago when here in Tennessee you had to go to a liquor store to buy beer above... was it 6.2%? It was something like that. Well, this is the green-spined beer from Smith & Lentz here in middle Tennessee (do beers have spines?) where the last beer had a blue spine. Again, I took a picture of the pretty front with a crest, but it's not the thing that tells you what the beer is.

The thick, dense head sits atop the deliciously copper-brown beer. The aroma emanating from it is caramel, earth, and a bit of bread. Some people claim to smell citrus or berries or something, but they are nuts (or have better noses than me). The scent is particularly light, and I have to get right down in there to sniff it out, but I'm game.

First sip is very nice. It has the caramel forward, and there's bread and flowers tossed in, but the back end is a bit more straining - like there's something there aching to be tasted, but it's out of reach. Maybe the swig lifesaver will reach it.

Tip-in is fairly direct carbonation burn with yeast and grains leading the way and flowers definitely trying to assert themselves. The middle is tremendous with the caramel and toffee mixing with grains, a little resin, and light flowers while the carbonation sizzle a bit. The finish is a bit sweet followed by bitter while the bread, earth, and grains fade away.

Bottom Line: Will Nashville support this many good breweries? I hope so.

4.5/5