Bootlegger's Brewery Cloudware Hazy IPA

Beer Name: Cloudware Hazy IPA
Brewery: Bootlegger's Brewery (Fullerton, CA)
ABV: 6.3%
How sold: 16 oz tallboy cans; on draft
Where bought: Craft Shack (San Diego, CA) ****bought online
Price: $3.99 for 16 oz. tallboy can

Date Canned: January 30, 2018
Date Bought: February 26, 2018
Date Received: March 5, 2018 (approximate)
Date Drank: April 25, 2018
When brewed? Limited release beer.
IBU: 43 (per Untappd)

Commercial Description: "This Hazy IPA has an orange juice-like appearance with fruit juice aromas of passionfruit, lemon, and stonefruit. The low bitterness and high fruitiness make for a very drinkable hazy IPA.

Hops: Amarillo and Simcoe.

Malts: 2 row pale, Wheat Malt, Caramunich"

What's on the Can: "A low bitterness, high fruitiness take on a hazy IPA utilizing Amarillo and Simcoe hops."

Where distributed: As of August 2018, Bootlegger's beers are found in Central and Southern California.

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured hazy dark golden to light copper into a pint glass. Unfiltered. White head. Trace lacing at the top of the glass. 4.25/5

Smell (25%): Mostly tropical stone fruit with fairly assertive (for 6.3%), yet complementing malt. 4.25/5

Taste (40%): Characterized as a diluted tropical and malt-forward beer. Tropical includes stone fruit, berry, and citrus. Not New England-style, perhaps a West Coast-style with less bitterness. 3.75/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, some carbonation. A bit juicy with some dry tongue. 4.25/5

Overall (20%): An awesome IPA. Again with Bootlegger's beers, I get a beer with promising aroma, but flavor that left me hoping for more. Here though, it was more a watered-down tropical and malt combo. Going in the right direction for me, just needed more of a flavor punch. To be fair, the flavor did pair well with my ghost pepper salsa and chips, and seemingly brought out more of the tropical experience. 4/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4/5