The design of this can is eerily similar to the last beer I had from Tennessee Brew Works. I guess it really follows the style of labels that they have in general, and I shouldn't really draw a comparison between that blonde ale and this IPA. I hesitate to call it a hazy IPA for reasons that I have disclosed elsewhere in this blog. Fun fact: the rounded triangle shaped behind the head of the "river drifting" bearded man is supposed to invoke the shape of a guitar pick. After all, Tennessee Brew Works is in Nashville, and Nashville is very proud to call themselves Music City.
The suitably hazy beer is a bronze-gold color that gets more bronze as you get to the thickest part of the glass. The head boils down to an uneven and patchy layer of covering that is completely across the beer and leaves quite a bit of lacing in its wake. The aroma is tropical and citrus fruits, and it smells absolutely delicious. It smells like what those juicy IPAs claim to taste like. Maybe it will taste like that, and all of my life will be fulfilled. Or at least, tonight will be pretty good.First sip is very good, but it is not the juicy strata of fruit that I picked up in the smell. Instead, quite a bit of bitterness has leaked into the beverage with a mustiness that accompanies the peel and rind coming directly from the fruit flavors. Like I said, it is a very good sip, but it's drawbacks are unanticipated. Maybe they will really shine with a full gulp.
Tip-in is sudden carbonation bite (but not sizzle) with orange rind, pear skin, mango fuzz, and grapefruit seeds. The middle cranks up the carbonation from a sting to a scraping across the top of the mouth while the fruit parts continue to mingle underneath in a slightly sweet and slightly bitter way. The finish is the bitter curtain that drops to stop all sweetness before the musty remnants of fruit skins is allowed to come back for the trail off.
Bottom Line: Good in its own way, but letting itself down a bit.
3.0/5