Short's "Psychedelic Cat Grass" American IPA

It's been a short run so far, but it was surprisingly recent. I assume a statistician or someone similarly capable of running the numbers can explain why I encounter a particular brewery, and I find a bunch of their beer all at once. Then, they drop off the map. It doesn't happen to all of them, but it happens to too many.

The hazy, golden beer has a delightfully sticky head that leaves streams of lacing in its wake before becoming an almost complete cover that is denser in some spots than others. The pervasive aroma of delightful citrus mixed with pine is very inviting.

First sip is a bit too bold for a sip. The pine combines with carbonation to make a bit of a sticky wicket and there is no smoothness that can balance the prickly sensations, so the expected deliciousness is just too much effort to deal with when the simple sip is all you have to go with. This is why we swig.

Tip-in is moderate carbonation burn with pine and a citrus peel working their way in. The middle is a fury of carbonation that shields the taste buds from what seems like a good mix of citrus and pine. The finish is bitter joining the carbonation before fruit rinds get to come in slightly for the trail-off.

Bottom Line: Confused and too bold for itself.

2.0/5