I have had a few IPAs from Green Man before, and they were okay. Genuinely, I don't even remember them. This one is, supposedly, not the same as those beers. This one doesn't have any special name to it other than that it is an IPA. Should I be wary about the fact that they didn't bother to brand the beer? Should I laud the fact that they trusted this beer enough that it would be entirely associated with their brand without a specific nomenclature or sub brand for it? I don't know any of these things.
When I went back and looked at the Trickster IPA, I saw that I had reviewed it twice. Once it was in a bottle, and once it was in a can. The bottle looked much, much darker than the beer that was in the can. I can't tell you why. This beer looks like it is as dark as the one that was in the bottle, and it's possibly darker. It is certainly hazier than either of them. I have definitely never had a beer this exact shade of burnt orange from Green Man. The head is relatively average on this one, and it doesn't look like it's going to be leaving much lacing. The aroma is bread, flowers, and fruits. There may be a little caramel tossed in for good measure.
First sip is not spectacular. It feels like they tried to go to heavy on the malt, and the problem is that the hops are fighting themselves. Pine and floral hops have overwhelmed anything that has any resemblance to fruit. The result is a muddled taste followed by a bunch of bitterness. I took an un-customary second sip, and it didn't get better. I was sure that it was just a shock to my taste buds, and any subsequent sip would be smooth and more enjoyable. It just isn't the case. Maybe a swig will win this one.
Tip-in is furious carbonation burn with a cracker malt that is soggy and stale, but it has flowers on it so... hops? The middle is where this beer should really start to shine, but it feels like it gets worse; bitterness pervades while carbonation stings and flowers and pine try to make themselves known over the significant din. The finish keeps the bitterness, flowers, and pine, but the carbonation finally goes away as bitterness clings to life for the trail off.
Bottom Line: A genuine stinker.
1.0/5