Saturday, December 24, 2016

Saint Archer Mosaic Double IPA


Beer Name: Mosaic IPA
Brewery: Saint Archer Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)
ABV: 9.0%
How sold: 22 oz bottles; on draft
Where bought: Craft Shack (San Diego, CA) ****bought online
Price: $7.49 for 22 oz. bottle

Date Purchased: September 15, 2016
Date Opened/Drank: September 26, 2016
When brewed? Limited-release beer, usually in summer. Here is a press release from 2015 about it.



What's on the Bottle: "Here at Saint Archer Brewing Company, we are excited to brew with one of our favorite hop varieties, Mosaic. This Double India Pale Ale showcases the wonderful characteristics of this hop. With complex aromatic notes of citrus, berry, tropical fruit, and pine, we have also layered in Amarillo, Simcoe, and Chinook to highlight the wonderful hop that is, Mosaic."

Where distributed: As of September 2016, it appears Saint Archer beers may only be found in California. If they are in other states, they do not make its way to the Pacific NW (for now).

REVIEW:
Appearance (5%): Poured clear golden into a pint glass. Frothy white head. Only trace lacing on the glass. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Engulfing the nose with tropical and citrus. Grapefruit, pineapple, and berries all tag teamed my senses, and resistance was futile. Yes, yes, and more yes. 5/5

Taste (40%): Incredible tropical experience from start to finish. For me, the ideal amount of bitterness mixed in with that tropical feel. Runs the gamut from grapefruit to pineapple to berries. Blissful from the first sip. 5/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, wonderful carbonation. Nice controlled citrus-bitterness on the tongue. Neither sticky nor dry, just coated the tongue ideally. 4.75/5

Overall (20%): A world-class IPA. As much as I enjoyed Saint Archer's Citra 7, I loved this one even more. Totally deserves one of the highest overall weighted scores I've ever given on this blog. Full-on tropical and citrus, the right amount of bitterness, and, at the end of the day, you have an extremely drinkable, dangerous beer. $7.49 seems like a steal at the end of the day. Very high ratings on Beer Advocate and RateBeer. This is one of those beers where I would totally go out of my way to get again, come hell or high water. Merry Christmas to the panda. 5/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.95/5

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.