Evil Twin Brewing Ceci N'est Pas A NE-Style IPA

Beer Name: Ceci N'est Pas A NE-Style IPA ("This is Not a NE-Style IPA")
Brewery: Brewed for Evil Twin Brewing Co. (now based on Brooklyn, NY) by Dorchester Brewing Company (Boston, MA), distributed by Twelve Percent LLC (Brooklyn, NY)
ABV: 8.5%
How sold: 16 oz. tallboy cans; on draft
Where bought: Belmont Station (Portland, OR)
Price: $5.50 for 16 oz. tallboy can

Date Purchased: February 10, 2018
Date Drank: April 4, 2018
When brewed? Limited-time beer.
IBU: 68

Commercial Description: "This is not a pipe. Nor is this a NE-Style IPA."


Where distributed: Evil Twin Brewing distributes to several states.

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured a slightly hazy light golden into a pint glass. Unfiltered; lots of sediment at the bottom of the can and suspended in the beer. Frothy white head. 4.25/5

Smell (25%): Abundant tropical. Citrus (tangerine and lemon), stone fruit, perhaps some grapefruit. 4.5/5

Taste (40%): Tropical-forward experience from start to finish. Malt presents itself a few seconds into the drinking experience, which did try to overwhelm with some octane before the citrus aftertaste. Lots of citrus, mango, lemon, and papaya. Controlled citrus bitterness here. Felt like a hybrid between a West Coast-style and NE-Style. Almost torn here because it has a bunch of positives but the malt/octane detracted a bit as well. 3.75/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, good carbonation. Juicy on the tongue. 4.5/5

Overall (20%): A solid IPA. The beer's name is French for "This is Not a New England-Style IPA." For me, it felt like a hybrid, and I definitely enjoyed the aftertaste. Malt and octane upstaged at times, but to be fair, it's not too surprising at 8.5%. Overall, I'm still a fan of this beer. 4/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.088/5