Cosmic Clouds | SpindleTap Brewery
From a 473ml can served cool at 9 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. The bottom of the packaging reads 03/2020 - likely "best before" of March 2020. This beer was picked up from Whole Foods in Houston and was highly recommended by someone I know who works there. The cans arrived safely in Toronto where I'm very excited to review this.
Appearance
The beer pours a murky pale gold with 3cm of bubbly, thin, off-white head which dissipates into a partial film within 1+ minutes. Poor lacing and fair head retention. As far as beer goes, I still think these haze-bois are ugly.
Aroma
Moderate intensity with good balance. The aroma has a gorgeous and complex ripe fruit character; hops all the way. Pronounced stone fruit (peaches) and tropical fruit (mango) are complimented by grapefruit and pine. Perfumy, floral undertones and a really interesting fennel character add more complexity and nuance. A touch of ethanol to round out sweetness. An underlying pale malt gives off a crackery impression. The dry nose is reminiscent of a crackery pale malt with layered hops. Fennomenal :)
Flavour
Follows the aroma with medium-strong intensity, good balance, and pronounced perceived bitterness. The palate opens up very juicy with notes of peaches and grapefruit which set the stage for a complex and hop-forward center where notes of grapefruit, mango, passionfruit, fennel, and mild ethanol compete for attention. The long finish is relatively intense and quite balanced with notes of grapefruit, fennel, mango, and pine. Hop-jooce. Delicious.
Mouthfeel
Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is crisp and somewhat creamy with restrained alcohol warming and an off-dry finish. Mild hop-derived astringency. No harshness of any kind. Great drinkability.
Overall
SpindleTap's Cosmic Clouds is an outstanding DIPA. It pours out like a juice from a box (which I find unappealing) but I quickly forget about the looks as the punchy hop aroma takes over. Amazing hop-complexity from a single hop. The overall flavour is soooo delicious and the mouthfeel contributes to great drinkability forcing me to forget the elevated ABV. This one's worth trying whenever you get a chance. I highly recommend it to hop-lovers as well as the hop-curious. The bitterness shows restraint so I could see this as a gateway to hops regardless of its strength. SpindleTap delivers by exceeding my expectations.