Creature Comforts "Tropicalia" IPA

So far, no break out hits from Creature Comforts. I was afraid, based on the label alone, that this was going to be an artisan brewery with the requisite questionable quality control and "experimentation" that results in some pretty crappy beer. So far, it really hasn't been that, but I'm not sure they've made an impression at all. This one needs to make me want to look for the label on the taps the next time I'm out.

The beer pours remarkably clear until about the last quarter of the can when whole bunch of cloudiness seems to come out all at once, and it fills the rest of the beverage until there is a medium haze in the golden color. The white head is somewhat patchy and relatively sticky. It completely covers the top of the beer once it's settled. It looks like there's gonna be some lacing, but it's going to be pretty minimal. The aroma is, suitably, tropical fruits. If they would have called this a fruity IPA, or a juicy IPA, I would certainly have allowed that. Not that they would've asked me.

First sip seems relatively juicy at first, but then a dryness that seems to be accompanied by pine feels like it turns the fruit juices into peels. I'm not sure what to make of this sip. I wanted the juicy IPA that it smelled like and that the can promised, but when I got is something more... artisanal. I feared that this was going to be a brewery that prided itself on feel rather than taste. So far, taste isn't winning.

Tip-in is rather harsh carbonation burn with tropical mist floating a bit breezily above it. The middle turns to a nice, juicy flow of mixed tropical fruits with a little citrus hinted at; the carbonation has left the area to allow the fruits to enjoy themselves. The finish is a bitter twang before a honey smoothness comes back for the trail off.

Bottom Line: I didn't think I was going to like it at first, but a swig talked me into it.

3.0/5