Bearded Iris "Oddball" IPA

So, Bearded Iris made an Oddball. This is an IPA from the brewery that almost exclusively makes IPAs and DIPAs. I wish I could tell you why they think this is an oddball thing for them to do, but maybe I'll find out whenever get a little bit further into the beverage itself. As for the can, it is a somewhat predictable and relatable picture of their logo, the name of the beer, and an abstract design behind it all. Nothing here really screams odd.

Sameness continues as I pour the beer. It gets a somewhat sticky head that leaves a tiny little amount of lacing and a thin smear of small bubbles across the top of the beer with the almost cliché bubbles around the sides of the glass. The pale yellow beer is nearly opaque at its thickest point, and that is par for the course with Bearded Iris. The aroma is filled with citrus and tropical fruits; tangerine, orange, grapefruit, mango, and pears seem to dominate the aroma. Again, I'm really not sure why this is supposed to be odd.

First sip is, indeed, not that odd. This might be a little more tart than their average beer, and there is a dryness after the beer is gone that is not indicative of their average beer, but I wouldn't really say this is that much of an oddball. Instead, the mixture of juices at the beginning is a little discordant, and that dry trail off is not really doing in any favors.

Tip-in is mild carbonation burn with a tart and bitter pall cast across oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits. The center of the beer is almost gentle with its mixture of fruits seeming to even out into a blanket of complementary tastes, despite the tip-in disaster of fruit clashing, and I can feel the soul of the beer being fairly pure. But then the finish comes with its bitter, tart, dry sendoff to what otherwise might of been a very good beverage.

Bottom Line: There's gold in the center, but you have to dig to get it.

2.5/5