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All too often, I've waxed poetically about Bearded Iris. The reality is that their beers only get middling reviews most of the time, but there is some strange attraction I have to them. It's like the Star Wars prequels - I know they are not great, and I regret rewatching them, but they are something I still turn to every now and then. Likewise, Bearded Iris is a Tennessee staple, and I will keep trying their beers.
The beer is just as hazy as I expected. Does it say "hazy" on the label? No. Other brewers, take note: you don't have to shout from the rooftops just because you didn't bother to filter your beer. The light orange beer has a nice, off-white, fluffy head that settles to a completely covering layer of rocky mixed bubbles that looks absolutely fantastic and will definitely be leaving some lacing. The aroma is bursting with citrus and tropical fruits with a slight haze of bitterness on the horizon. It smells really good, it presents really well, and it wants me to drink it.
First sip had the intention of coming in with a little too much bitterness, but it backed off very quickly to allow for all of the tropical and citrus fruits to bedazzle me with their splendor. Normally, a beer that has this much fruit flavor in it would be referred to as juicy, but this is not juicy. Instead, it is relatively flat with juice as more of an affectation then a foundation.
Tip in is bitter bits of apricots, mangoes, grapefruits, and a host of other, less forward fruits. The middle produces a nice, bright, balanced fruit cocktail that is refreshing and quite enjoyable. The finish brings bitterness to the fore with fruits turning to seeds and rinds before sending the whole thing off with a slight more hit of fruit.
2.5/5
