Collective Arts "Chroma Chromatic" New England Double IPA

Somehow, Collective Arts has so far managed to be one of the few artisanal breweries that doesn't just mess everything up. I think that a brewer decides he (or she) is an artist, and they suddenly want to be an abstract brewer who makes things that are convoluted and difficult to really... "get." I don't need my beer to be challenging - I want it to be good. It can be complex, simple, or somewhere in between, but it has to be good.

The frothy head fills me with joy, despite the fact that it takes forever to go down. It just looks indulgent and somewhat audacious. I'm willing to accept the inconvenience of having to wait for it to fizzle down before I can actually fill the glass, as that is just par for the course for some of these beers. The very hazy beer is quite orange, and it did not need the moniker hazy being added to the already extensive name. The aroma smells of light citrus and tropical fruits, and I think I shall enjoy my time with this beverage quite a bit. 

First sip is not an instant win. It does have a very fruity and somewhat sweet nature, but the bitterness seems to put it off balance in a way that is almost concerning. A second sip is a lot smoother and creamier than the first, so maybe it's just one of those things where I had not had anything to eat or drink for quite a while, so the bitterness popped in my mouth in an unusual way. The second sip definitely makes this seem like a much more approachable beverage than the first one did. But, sipping isn't what we do here. 

Tip-in is all manner of fruits with grapefruit, mango, star fruit, coriander, orange, and probably some others that I can't really tease out. I mean, this is a lot of fruit to all be contained in just the tip-in of a beverage. What is that going to mean for the middle? Well, I expected the middle to even out and become thin, but it's just a continuation of the tip-in with the fruits all jammed together; however, it smooths out as the carbonation, which I really expected to intrude, is just a mild sizzle. The finish is bitter and somewhat tart as the fruit turns to peels and pits for the trail off. 

Bottom Line: Silky smooth and approachable. 

4.0/5