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It seems very odd to have a fruit beer that is an IPA. Normally, most brewers will just go with an ale, as you're not going to fight the increased hops of an IPA. Bearded Iris, however, knows their IPAs very well, and the result is that they should be able to pull out a winner that augments the distinct hop flavors by using the strawberry that they added. I am curious and excited to get their take.
At first, it appeared to be nothing more than a regular beer, but lurking at the bottom of the can was quite a bit of strawberry-colored detritus. Once that stuff infused itself into the rest of the beer, the countenance of the beer changed to the red-copper colored, hazy beer that I have before me. The head boils away to a single lily pad in the center of the beer and, shockingly, no ring around the sides of the glass. The aroma has only a hint of berry added to the IPA that smells more citrus than anything. I am, again, very much looking forward to this.
First sip does not immediately endear me to the beverage. The strawberry twang is hindered by the bitterness from the hops, and the result is an unbalanced sip that has citrus laid down and strawberry lumped on top of it for no particular reason. If anything, the strawberry is detracting from the rest of the beer. As a result of this rather off-kilter sip, I am very much not looking forward to what a proper gulp might bring, but this is the way.
Tip in is bright berries in a citrus and tropical hop sauce that seems to be balancing okay on top of the carbonation. The middle turns carbonation up as bitterness and hops incongruently mix with strawberries that really don't seem to belong. The finish is a solid hit of bitterness with strawberry seeds and the inner feeling that I should really grab a different Bearded Iris beverage.
Bottom Line: If this was a mood ring, it would be yellow-green.
1.0/5
