Saturday, April 28, 2012

Freedom of '78 Guava IPA

I knew of this beer long before tasting it. Being a fan of Half Acre's products I never thought I'd find this. Fortunately, and to my surprise, 8th Street Grille just so happened to have it. The tap didn't have any reference to the collaboration, but the name held an attractive memory. Served in a 4 Oz tasting glass.

Appearance: Golden copper colored with a sudsy off white head that dissipates quickly. Some carbonation can be seen slowly rising from the depths of the glass, while a minute amount of haze still remains in the beer. Overall, quite calm looking.
Aroma: Sweet and honeyed. with a floral character. Rich tropical fruit erupt in the nostrils, formulating a distinct pine based sweetness. Light and fruity, yet expectantly bold and hoppy. Easily distinguishable grapefruit holds throughout.
Taste: Juicy and sweet, but in a hop oriented way. The sweetness profile comes off as more tropical and citrus fruit than malt. The midtaste maintains a mild foreign sweetness that I can only attribute to being the Guava. Throughout I draw the all too familiar flavor that Half Acre represents in my mind...mostly Citra and C' based hops. Hints of grapefruit and pineapple are most notable, along with honey and under-ripe pears.
Mouthfeel: Light-medium body, while remaining extremely drinkable without any sacrifice to flavor. Not overly drying in the end, but still enough to encourage a thirst for yet another sip. Carbonation is fine with a middle of the road presence.
Overall Impression: Like I said earlier, this beer holds true to the Half Acre way, but with a twist of Guava and honey character. The light sweetness plays with the familiar Citra to create a tropical burst of a juicy parallel between sweet and bitter. Kudos to Short's as well!

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