MadTree "Blood Orange Psychopathy" IPA

I had a MadTree beer before, but it was in concert with Jackalope; it has been my experience that beers that result from two different breweries coming together are not the best from either of them. That particular beer was bad. The fact is, I can't let that reflect anything else from this brewer.

The suitably orange beer has a spongy head that takes quite a while to boil away. Then, it's a very patchy layer of mixed-sized bubbles with a smattering of lacing left on the sides of the glass. The aroma is orange and grains with a slight whiff of grapefruit.

First sip is not as daunting as I feared at first. It definitely hits harder at the back end than it does with a really soft opening. The front end is almost watery, but it has substance of biscuits and a bit of orange rind. The other end is a lot more tart, grains, heavy orange, and more biscuits. The sip is unbalanced, but it's still pretty good.

Tip-in is gentle carbonation fizz with orange spritz on light biscuits. The middle spreads into a delightfully grainy orange and tangerine whirlpool. The finish is a bright flash of carbonation as the rind and biscuits coalesce into a tart, flavorful trail-off.

Bottom Line: It's memorable and pretty darn good.

3.5/5