I didn't notice that this was a Steve Austin branded beer until I brought it home. I'm not sure if that would've helped it or hurt it, but it would have been nice to have noticed. I thought the art was interesting, and it claimed to be in IPA, so I was perfectly willing to give it a shot. I'm still willing to give it a shot. This may be fantastic for all I know.
The beverage isn't starting off well. It comes out of the can almost flat. It produces virtually no head, and so it's not going to be leaving any lacing. Points of nucleation along the sides of the glass tell me that there is carbonation in there somewhere, but I have no idea why it's not producing any kind of head (the brewed date is less than less than six months ago). The pale gold beer is hazier than I would have expected, but maybe they are going straight to the heart of what is popular in IPAs today. The aroma is citrus and tropical fruits, and it actually smells very good.First sip is a mixed bag. It is crisp, and it brings the hops very far forward, but the bitterness combines with the apparently unreleased carbonation to become a little too prickly. The result is a beer that is unbalanced and ultimately off-putting. Mind you, this is just from a sip. If I know anything about Steve Austin's predilection for imbibing adult beverages such as this, this was never intended to be sipped.
Tip-in is flat and featureless with pine and pineapple skin starting a salve of bitterness. The middle is a mass of hops that don't seem to be tamped down in any way by the existence of a malt. The finish is a hit of bitterness before a stunned and previously silent corn malt sweetens things up a bit before pine and bitter combine for a trail off.
Bottom Line: Maybe I just got a bad batch.
1.0/5