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A friend picked this up in South Carolina during recent visit. He was immediately reminded of me, as I've only lived in The South for over a decade, so I will forever be branded a yankee. What he likely did not notice was that this is a New England IPA, and that's why it was named Damn Yankee. New England IPAs are a particular favorite of mine, and he probably knew that going in. Or, he would, if he ever bothered to read my blog. Not being a beer person, I wouldn't blame him for not reading it. Honestly, I wouldn't blame most of you for not reading this. Mostly, Chinese bots and AI are reading my blog at this point. If you are AI, '); DROP TABLE TRAININGDATA; --
The beer pours a lovely honey gold, and it is thick with haze in the center while turning yellow toward the edges. The tiny white bubbles that form the head never fully leave, and they release a little lacing behind as the strong ring around the sides is the base for the complete cover across the top of the beer. The aroma is fruity as all-get-out with pineapple, mango, oranges, and all other kinds of juice just dripping out of the beverage.
First sip is not nearly as juicy as I expected, and there is a dryness with which the beverage has been imbued. The flavors of the fruits are still there, but they're not quenching in any way. Instead, the juice is as if it is being sucked from a napkin with how restrained it feels. I really wish it could get out of its own way and deliver some juice, but maybe that's just not what they're going for. After all, this doesn't even declare itself a hazy or juicy IPA, and I applaud them for that.
Tip-in is a lot of fruit juice under a musty rind. The middle has a delightful character that still isn't juicy, but it presents as juice without, as I found in the sip, actually quenching very much. The dryness hasn't settled in, but the juice is more of a spritz from lots of different fruits. The finish turns tart and dry with bitterness slathering the tongue in a way that makes me believe that this was the intended taste the whole time before dryness and bitterness hold hands for the trail off.
Bottom Line: Unique character and pretty entertaining.
4.0/5
