Roughtail’s second expression from the E-Juice line was canned today and eager drinkers are currently lining up for the brewery-only release so they can go home with some crazy fresh 4-packs. The first E-Juice, an IPA brewed with lactose and raspberries (review here), was delicious so when they announced the second batch it made me feel feelings. As with the first release, this is an IPA brewed with lactose and fruit but this time it’s blueberries, boysenberries, and blackberries. My mouth is already watering.

Company: Roughtail Brewing Co.

Location: Midwest City, OK

ABV: 7.5%

IBUs: ?

Style/Description: IPA brewed with Lactose, Blueberries, Boysenberries, and Blackberries

Price: $13.00 per four pack

Appearance: Pours a reddish purple with an almost opaque cloudiness and a fluffy pink head.

Nose: Smells like cracking open a fresh pack of fruit snacks. Tons of berry notes jump out as well as some bitter, resinous vibes with some tart grapefruit.

Taste: Blackberry and boysenberry tartness is the first thing that hit me. Following that initial pucker came a rush of blueberry sweetness, some grapefruit pith bitterness, and some earthy, grassy notes. The mouthfeel is spot on and is exactly what you would expect for a beer you can’t see through. The upfront tartness chills out a few sips in and things round out nicely with a really nice balance between the tartness, bitterness, and sweetness.

Finish: The berries hang out for a while and the hoppy, pithy bitterness eventually takes over. Some resinous things from the aroma come in but overall I feel like I just ate a bowl full of blackberries. That’s not a bad thing.

Overall: Once again E-Juice delivers on exactly what it promises. A thick, juicy IPA with loads of fruit. The bitterness of the boysenberry distracted me a bit from some of the jammy things I was expecting, but in the end I appreciated the balance of it all. I can’t wait to see what flavor of E-Juice the Roughtail guys come up with next.

Rating: 4/5