The unexpected underdog from Johnson City and Nashville Tennessee produces some surprisingly good beers. The issue with such a down-home and redneck-signaling name is that a lot of people won't take you seriously. These guys have produced enough good beers that everyone should be taking them seriously. They know what they're doing, and they keep doing the right things. Nobody's going to be perfect, but the young upstart company has the makings of something truly great.
Once again, it says hazy on the can, and it is hazy in the glass. I didn't pour too hard, so there isn't a whole lot of head, but the bubbles are surprisingly small and resilient. The complete covering on top of the beverage is a little patchy, and it has the expectedly strong ring around the sides of the glass. The aroma is delightful and fruity with both citrus and tropical fruits lending their beauty. It smells a little sweet, and it smells significantly bitter. It's smells like a proper IPA should.
First sip is excellent. The fruits are melded together quite nicely, and they manage to bring sweetness with bitterness in a balance that more mature brewers have spent a lifetime not quite getting to. The beverage tastes fairly light for something that has such a strong citrus taste, and the pillowy oats in the malt are more like Cheerios floating on milk than they are oatmeal sinking to the bottom of the bowl.
Tip-in is rather significant carbonation burn with the fruits giving their essence rather than a full mouth of juice or even the sense of fruit meat. The middle brings more fruits as they flow down the gullet in a light and airy manner and the malt does a fine job of allowing just enough bitterness into cut into the sweetness. The finish turns a little off as it seems to go slightly sour and pine rears its head for perhaps a little too much bitterness.
4.0/5