Bearded Iris "Double Scatterbrain" Double IPA

Nope. I'm not going to go on about how fantastic Bearded Iris is. I'm just going to jump in the review. The big problem I'm running into now is that I always start these reviews with some kind of retrospective or insight into a particular brewery or even a type of beer. This is a double IPA, and anyone who has read a significant amount of this blog knows I like them. This is Bearded Iris, and anyone who has read a significant amount of this blog knows I like them.

The only mildly hazy golden yellow beer doesn't spin out much head, but it's enough. The dusting that remains on top echoes the lacing on the side of the glass that reminds me why I like lacing so much. The aroma is citrus, pine, and tropical fruits. Those are all backed with a bread crust malt that smells very inviting like freshly baked and crisp crust around a soft and gooey center.

First sip is too much. The fruits, notably the passion fruit, are just a slap in the face with the bread malt languishing in the background. Do not sip this beer. I don't know if it's going to be any good when I start to gulp, but sipping it isn't doing it any favors. It's like taking a song that lasts seven minutes and compressing it into a three second burst of all the notes. The song may be good or bad, but your experience of it cannot possibly be the best.

Tip-in is passion fruit, grapefruit, and light orange with carbonation sizzling lightly around the sides. The middle presents an uptick in carbonation, and the fruits swell into a discordant crescendo as the pine joins them. The finish has a little bit of that crusty bread malt, and then the bitterness takes over for a fruit-laced plane trail off.

Bottom Line: When you throw as many songs at the public as these guys do, They're not all going to be hits.

1.75/5