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It's been a day. Here, at the end, I just want to sit back and enjoy a nice, refreshing beverage made from hops, malt, water, and love. What I have before me claims to be a hoppy IPA, and it claims to be tropical in nature. I'm still not entirely certain when a brewery should or should not add a modifier to IPA. New England IPA, yes. West Coast IPA, yes. Double IPA? Oh heck yes! But when you start to get into juicy, hazy, or tropical, I think these are descriptors rather than specific styles. Maybe I'm wrong.
The beer pours a slightly hazy orange with a robust head of minuscule bubbles that hang around for quite a while. I can't tell if they're going to leave lacing, but they haven't so far. They do create a strong ring around the sides, but that is bolstered by the unusually large number that have managed to stay right in the center of the beer, creating a complete cap.
First sip seems like it should be more tropical. The tropical fruits are there, but it's like they are mixed in with some pine. I don't see a listing of the kinds of hops that have been used in this beverage, so I can only go with what I'm tasting. The hops that are here are fairly aggressive in nature, and they hit with that mustiness and bitterness that I expect from a heavily hopped beer. It's not bad, but it's a bit much.
Tip-in is much more mild than the sip, and the mango and tangerine are mixing with an interestingly floral hop and light carbonation. The middle becomes eminently drinkable with fruits and flowers sloshing into a caramel malt while the carbonation doesn't bring too much of a ruckus. The finish includes a bit of dankness as bitterness swells, but it doesn't overwhelm.
Bottom Line: I would say surprisingly good, but Southern Tier does not surprise me with good.
3.75/5
