Immediately upon seeing this label, I thought of the quite excellent Hipster Repellent IPA. Mind you, that was from a completely different brewery, and the only thing it has in common with this one is the use of the word hipster. While the other one intentionally eschews hipsters (possibly to its sales detriment) this one embraces the hipster lifestyle. I'm not even really sure how much longer the word hipster is really going to mean anything. I mean, they're just people. Although, if they're the ones pushing sour beers, I wish them nothing but harm.
First sip reinforces the aroma's idea of pine and citrus integrated into a funky grain. What it did not prepare me for was a dry and somewhat bitter finish that trails off with a flower nestled in the pine. Like many of these more complex beers, the sip is probably not doing it very much justice, but I can't say I hate it. Instead, it's complex and unrefined in a way that makes me assume something more will be teased out in a proper gulp.
Tip-in is bitterness, pine, light honey, and a tropical fruit glaze over everything as the carbonation does just a light sizzle along the tongue. The middle does indeed bring something new to the mix; the smooth stew of fruits manages to make the pine gentle and endearing while the grains form a soft bed underneath and the honey simply adds to the smooth texture. The finish is still very dry, bitter, pine, and is even more harsh given the smoothness of the middle before the funky grain and pine trail off.
Bottom Line: Rough but good.
2.5/5