Bootlegger's Brewery Pokin' the Bear Hazy Double IPA

Beer Name: Pokin' the Bear Hazy Double IPA
Brewery: Bootlegger's Brewery (Fullerton, CA)
ABV: 8.0%
How sold: 16 oz tallboy cans; on draft
Where bought: Craft Shack (San Diego, CA) ****bought online
Price: $3.99 for 16 oz. can

Date Canned: November 1, 2017
Date Purchased: November 20, 2017
Date Received: November 27, 2017
Date Drank: November 30, 2017
When brewed? Limited release beer.

Commercial Description: "This Hazy Double IPA is the result of a collaboration between our talented brewing team and some of the great folks from our distributor within our home market of orange county. The hops in this special release leave flavor and aroma notes of citrus, peach and tropical fruit. Unfiltered, leaving residual yeast and brewed with oats creates a smooth mouthfeel and full body to this BEAR of a bear. MAKE SURE TO ENJOY THIS FRESH!"

Where distributed: As of January 2018, Bootlegger's beers are pretty much just found in Central and Southern California.

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured hazy dark golden into a pint glass. Unfiltered; sediment suspended in the beer. Frothy white head. Some lacing at the top of the glass. 4.25/5

Smell (25%): Tropical pineapple with complementing malt. 4.25/5

Taste (40%): Mostly a pleasing malt with some tropical. Some octane detected. Got more of the tropical pineapple on the aftertaste, but for most of the drinking experience, not much flavor stood out to make anything memorable. 3.75/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-full bodied, some carbonation. Some dry tongue. 4/5

Overall (20%): A decent Double IPA. I frankly had higher expectations for this one because it was in the hazy IPA category that I personally enjoy. While the aroma was promising, I was puzzled on the flavor because it didn't do anything to make the experience memorable. Oh well, I still drank it all. 3.75/5

Final Weighted Rating: 3.925/5