Decadent "Orange Cream Pop" IPA

So, should I expect to hit a wooden stick halfway through this beer? I mean, if you want to be authentic, you're going to need to do something about that, right? Maybe that's not what they're going for. I'm guessing they are looking at something that was inspired by the orange cream pop, but I literally just had a real orange cream pop the other day, so I will be able to judge.

The hazy, light yellow beer has some head, but it isn't long for this world, and it leaves an incomplete, thin layer across the top of the beer. There are a few inlets of lacing on the sides, but not much. The aroma is a little funky and a little orange with a decidedly tart bend to it. Tart isn't what I expect from a beer that is supposed to be like an ice cream treat.

First sip is only a little tart, so that's not really a problem. The funk is more of a glaze of vanilla combined with a spray of yeasty malt. Meanwhile, the orange is there, but it's not overwhelming anything. The sip is a mixed bag. I can't say I recommend it based on the thin yet relatively innocuous sip.

Tip-in is orange spritz, carbonation dazzle, bread malt, and light vanilla. The middle opens up into a very smooth bed of vanilla and vague orange on grains and carbonation still dazzling. The finish is where most of the flavor really is, and it is a higher intensity orange with tangerine sparks as a tart and a little funk make way for a somewhat crisp trail-off.

Bottom Line: Pretty good, but it's nowhere near some of the other beers from these guys.

2.5/5