Baobeer

Although still plainly summer, the temperatures have been moderating themselves these past couple of days. We’re supposed to stay below 30ºC for about half of next week. It’s still blowing a furnace wind and it’s still plenty sunny, though, so no real relief. I will sigh and take another unstout, Drunken Bros. Aretha Double NEIPA. This one is made in the facilities of Baobeer, a Basque brewery, which adds the fun of the ingredients list being in Basque first.

It has more of a lemony look than an orange one, although natural orange juice is more yellowish. The head starts out beautifully fluffy, but bigger bubbles start to poke through and deflate the foam with some speed. It has a light and enticing aroma of piney citrus and tiny savory notes. Something wooden spicey, not quite caraway. Flavorwise, it’s fairly typical for a NEIPA, sweet orange and a floor of pith. It is somewhat stronger than normal, but IPAs have been climbing the ABV ladder for the last few years, so it’s not a huge difference from “normal” NEIPAs. It doesn’t feel too strong, no alcohol burn or snap on the throat, goes down well without much aftertaste. It starts to get a little sour after some time resting, which adds interest but also some roughness in the swallow. That 8% doesn’t knock you out, which might be a surprise for some, but it doesn’t leave you untouched either. There’s just a tiniest lightness in the head, a kind of pick-me-up feeling.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €7.20