Rejoice, it’s time for a new version of Roughtail’s rotating Adaptation IPA series! Batch 4 was canned just a couple of days ago on May 17th and is another East Coast IPA. This time, however, it’s an East Coast IPA hopped with pure Southern Hemisphere hops which comes at a time where we are all rooting for our favorite Kiwi in the playoffs, Mr. Steven Funaki Adams. This can is packing Galaxy, Rakau, Monueka, and Waimea hops and should prove to be a very interesting pour given those profiles. I would type more words about this beer, but honestly I just want to open it so I can smell the smells and tastes the tastes. Let’s go.
Disclaimer: This product was provided at no cost to Barrels and Mash with no strings attached.
Company: Roughtail Brewing Co.
Location: Midwest City, OK
ABV: 7%
Style/Description: East Coast India Pale Ale
Price: $16 (4-pack, 16oz cans)
Appearance: Hazy gold with a fluffy white head that slowly subsided leaving great, sticky lacing.
Nose: Super dank and fruit juicy with a shitload of citrus things. Grapefruit, lime, pineapple and peaches are the super upfront fruity smells with some light pine and resin in the back. The acidity reigns supreme in the aroma but there’s a richness to it as well. I wish it was warmer outside.
Taste: Surprisingly the fruit isn’t the first thing that nails me here, it’s the dank, piney, grassy, resin things that hit first with the rich citrus coming in shortly after. There is a prominent lime note (probably from that Motueka) along with the rest of the sweet grapefruit and some peach things. The mouthfeel and carb are freaking great making this a very rich, hazy-tasting little experience.
Finish: The fruit drys out fairly quick leaving resin and pine and a bit of that lime behind as this one rides into the sunset. Once those notes disappear over the horizon some slight bitterness come in leaving my mouth coated with lime tartness like I just drank a limeade.
Overall: Well I was right, this is definitely an interesting beer. I feel like I said “lime” a ton of times, but it’s the thing that sticks out the most about this brew. The balance isn’t quite as on point as some of the previous Adaptations, but that is FAR from an insult as those other batches are ridiculously good and are among the beers I get excited about the most these days. As the beer warms those grassy and citrus notes get more and more pronounced and really make this a stand out brew. Roughtail is freaking killing it right now in the IPA game and I couldn’t be happier to know they are here in OKC.
Rating: 4/5
