I think I had previously complemented Rhinegeist on their can design. I still like their can design, but I'm starting to think that they need to have a little more variety. The combination of colors across the same logo that takes up more than 50% of the front of the can seems like it would be a good idea, but I find myself looking at these cans in the actual aisle of the beer store and not remembering which ones I've had in which I haven't. That isn't even touching on the fact that I am not going to remember which ones I like and which ones I didn't. I suppose not many people look at cans as much as I do.
First sip is crisp and very unlike the average juicy beer. Instead, it doesn't hit you over the head with the juices, but they are there to be enjoyed. If I didn't know that this was sitting at 6.5% ABV, I would have guessed that this was a form of all day IPA. The taste seems somewhat acidic, and that's not coming from any kind of carbonation. After all, carbonation doesn't have much of a chance in a sip. It's certainly not bad, and I could see sipping this slowly over the course of an evening. It's likely gets better as it warms up.
Tip-in is moderate carbonation fizzle with grapefruit and orange rinds. The middle is smooth and quite enjoyable with citrus spread out across the mouth and no hint of the wateriness that I suspected I would find as a result of the sip. The finish is a crisp snap with a mild bitterness and hints at pine resin heading to the trail off.
Bottom Line: This is a pretty good beer.
4.0/5
