.jpg)
I have had quite a few of the IPAs that Hi-Wire puts out from North Carolina, and I do not recall disliking very many of them. I became somewhat enamored with the brewery when I went and visited a few years ago, and I take every opportunity I can to pick up whatever beer I may find of theirs. Unfortunately, that means I wind up having to scrub through my blog to find it, and that normally takes more time than I would like, but the search function on this site is run by google, so it's about as good as I'm going to get it. Either way, I now have an IPA in front of me that I do not believe I've had before.
The vaguely yellow beer is just as hazy as they would want me to believe by slapping that moniker on the front of the can. Hell, they put it on the front twice. Even on the back, they put it there twice. Three times, if you include the strange attempt at a nutrition label for beers (the nutrition part is not necessarily bad, but it doesn't have as much information as I would typically want). The mixture of large and small bubbles are going to be leaving lacing as the beer goes down, and I like that. When I glanced at the back of the can, I saw that I should expect citrus, and I definitely smell citrus as well as pineapple and mango. What I didn't expect was the pine that I'm definitely smelling on the back end. Here's hoping this is a delightful mixture that is delicately balanced.
First sip is pretty good. The hops manage to bring forth quite a bit of flavor, but the malt is tamping down the bitterness quite a bit. The result is a smooth and almost creamy center that is really the kind of thing that a good IPA should be striving to be. I don't know how to properly convey that it is a really nice mouthfeel. I'm just wondering if the flavors aren't possibly a little too exuberant, but I came here looking for a strong IPA, and that's what they brought me.
Tip-in is pineapple rind and pine in a surprisingly spiky and carbonated introduction to the beverage. The middle shoves the spikiness to the side as the fruits are allowed to bloom and co-mingle as the deluge of fruits pores down the gullet in a very satisfying way. The finish brings bitterness to the fore with pine and pineapple rind leading the way.
Bottom Line: A pretty darn good beer.
4.0/5
