Bearded Iris "Ah-Ha" Double IPA

Bearded Iris has, as of this paragraph, not produced a single beer that I tried that I designated as bad. Sure, they've had a few not great beers, but nothing decidedly bad. And even the number of below average beers that they produced are outweighed by the many above average beers. So, I enter this review with a hubristic confidence.

This is a lot more orange than most of the Bearded Iris stable. It is very, very orange. The head is fluffy and eager to come out to play; the big bubbles burst quickly enough that I can already see a gesture towards some lacing on the sides of the glass before it settles to small bubbles in a patchy coverlet across the top of the beer. The aroma is tangerine and apricot on a bed of dusty sourdough bread.

First sip is daunting. It is a big blob of ... something. Is it dank? It might be. It is very off, and it's off in a big way. They have grabbed the apricot fuzz and tangerine slivers to deliver dank, tart .... something. Ooo! If you got the shell of a tide pod, and you bit into it after filling it with apricot and tangerine leavings and some of that dusty sourdough ball, you might understand the strange gush sensation, but it isn't about volume.

Tip-in is carbonation sizzle followed by tangerine and apricot with a noteworthy tartness. The middle erupts into a carbonation onslaught above the fruits that are joined by starfruit, orange, and grapefruit, but the carbonation is going nuts. Then, the finish comes to join the fight against taste with bitter, dank tartness and the dust from the bread.

Bottom Line: You got me, guys. The prank is on me. I paid for this.

0.5/5