This is my second of these mysterious Texas brews that I know nothing about the brewery other than that it is from Texas. I don't know what locals think about it, but I know that my brother thought that it would be good enough for me to try. As he is recently transplanted to Texas, he is likely not in the know about if a brewery is supposed to be good or not, so he will inevitably just settle on what tastes like a good beer. And that is exactly the method I try to use.
First sip has a bit more pine than I expected, as I had expected none. The fruits are mostly in rind form, and the bitterness is noteworthy. The malt is managing to stave off most of the bitterness, and it also provides the heft that I often find when trying a DIPA. This is one of those strange beers where I'm not sure if it is outright good on a simple sip. If anything, the alcohol makes it a little boozy for my tastes, and the bitterness could be toned down a bit.
Tip-in is sweet bread malt with carbonation swelling up over a mixture of fruits (mango, pineapple, watermelon) and a distinct layer of pine bitterness. The middle moves into a flavor onslaught that doesn't tip too heavily into bitterness while the juices mingle with the bread and the pine keeps the fruits from standing out as extraordinary. The finish is dry with heavy pine bitterness as the malt disappears into the ether to allow a mustiness to creep in for the trail off.
Bottom Line: Decent enough.
2.5/5
