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I had a dunkel from Goat Island before, and I remember liking it quite a bit. It didn't blow my socks off, but a solid dunkel is nothing to sneeze at. It's a relatively ignored style that brings more to the table than a brown ale or a black lager, and I've seen a lot more of those styles at my beer purveyors lately. This is a beer that should be a solid hit - a New England-style IPA.
Bottom Line: It has something to say, and I'm a listener.
The mostly cloudy beverage has a few small hunks of something. I think it is small bits of that stuff I got in the bottom of the Tailgate Pedal Tavern IPA. These are tiny bits that are not of significant concern, but they should probably be noted. The head is nothing to look at, and it won't leave any lacing, which is sad for any IPA, indeed. The aroma is a lot of tropical fruits with a citrus backbone. I think I'm going to like this.
First sip is a great mix of mango, guava, grapefruit, and orange. The bitter bite on the back end is more like a gentle nibble, and the quenching effect is lost in the end by a dryness that never fully settles in. It really feels great to drink, and this falls in the category of beers I would pretty happily sip all night, but my process demands a sacrifice.
Tip-in is mild carbonation tingle with strangely watery fruits just kind of emanating tropical vibes about them, with not enough being all that distinct. The middle drives solid and smooth fruit right down the throat, but the fruits that I could pick out in the sip are now all a blur. The finish is slight bitterness edging into the fruits that are now all laid out, plain as day (as they were in the sip) for a tropical trail-off.
Bottom Line: It has something to say, and I'm a listener.
3.5/5
