I returned to the enemy country today (Minnesota) to pick up a four-pack of this new double IPA that has recently become available in Minnesota. So far so good, I say.
Bearded Iris Brewing is a Nashville, Tennesse brewery that states that it is heavily focused on IPAs, DIPAs, and pales with a cultivation mindset regarding fresh hops. This DIPA is loaded up on Citra; you can smell it right away, and the taste is solid from beginning to end. The four-pack has these new plastic ring things on top, which I'm not the biggest fan of, but what can you do when you are a start-up in respect to distribution?
This one is pretty light in color, and after the pour, the head disappeared almost immediately.
It's boozy, too. Coming in at 8.2% ABV, this is a strong double. The balance and malt/hop bill doesn't really cover up the booze taste, however, so this one won't go down as smooth as other DIPAs I really enjoy. This is another strong beer in the American DIPA section.
Overall, it's pretty good. A bit green I am beginning to notice now that I'm a few sips in. Untappd appears to be a big fan of Bearded Iris; this beer has 17k check-ins and a rating of 4.21 / 5.00. Maybe it is due to COVID and supply chain issues,, but I'm going to give this one a 3.75. It smells great, but there is some green flavor upfront that hits you before the alcohol takes over the taste on the backend. They may be pushing beers early given all the canned alcohol demand over here currently.
Still not a bad entry, and the liquor store I enjoy, despite it being in Minnesota, has a few offerings from this brewer. I definitely will continue to check them out going forward. Thanks for reading; I do hope everyone is safe and enjoying this October evening wherever you are!
