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Another beer from my beloved brother in Texas. I pointed out to him once I got this that this is the second beer in my fridge that has an 8-bit character prominently featured on the front. I don't know if this is a new thing that is sweeping the nation, or if it is just coincidence. I have played many 8-bit and 16-bit games in my life, and I think I prefer games that have a little more resolution. I'm not sure that they mean to tell me that the resolution of this beer is going to be particularly subpar. Since the boss itself appears to be a hop, and the mini version of the boss also appears to be a hop, I'm expecting this to be quite the hoppy IPA.The golden beer is quite fetching, and it only has a slight haze to it. I was afraid that the head was going to erupt, and instead it is completely manageable and leaves a very nice and complete dusting across the top of the beer with a thick ring around the sides holding up more lacing than I deserve. Even though I have said all this about its appearance, the most noteworthy thing is the aroma. It is pine laced with lots and lots of fruits. Most of them appear to be citrus, but everything about it is mouthwatering.
First sip is exactly what it says it is supposed to be. This has loads of hops, and most of them are fruit, but they are all up front. What is interesting is that they managed to keep the bitterness away. There is no sharp bite on the backend that would normally be expected from something that is so hop forward. I'm not exactly sure what they're doing, and I certainly hope that it is not limited to just the sip. As a sip, this is a very good beer. This may be one of the best beers I've had from Texas.
Tip-in is moderate carbonation burn with bright fruits all over the place - some of them even bending toward sweetness. The middle is robust with pine joining the fruits, but it isn't detracting in any way; I've come down hard against pine hops in the past, and I think this beer is actually showing what it should be used for. The finish is a bitter twang while sweetness stays on the lips and the caramel malt can finally be tasted.
Bottom Line: Absolutely tremendous.
5.0/5
