I must start off by saying that hype does play a part here. This is white whale of smaller proportions. People go nuts, and I was lucky enough to land a 4-pack thanks to a friend in Boca Raton.

It’s just a monster of a beer. But it’s not super high ABV nor overly flavor-laden, but hear me out here. It’s a pretty standard looking IPA—a bit darker leaning toward amber with a creamy white head.

The aroma of this beer is pretty close, if not perfect. Initially sticky sweet pineapples, mangoes, and oranges really dominate, but there’s an underlying spicy, peppery, woody scent. It’s what I picture lemon wood would smell like. It just begs you to stop smelling and drink already!

The true monster part of this beer is the flavor. It’s not an upfront Pliny/Heady Topper/Hoptimum type blast of hops, but the hops are what really shine. The first taste is like liquid heaven. Slick pineapples and mangoes come to the forefront. There’s a bit of light lemongrass near the back end as well. The oak just adds another layer of amazingness. Slightly dry and woody, it is definitely an accent, but it’s perfectly placed. The spicy, peppery flavors really just make the fruits from the hops shine.

It goes down so easy and smooth. You would think with the added bitterness and layers of complexity, it would be a sipper, but oh no, it goes down like a good IPA should.

This is a fantastic wood-aged IPA, and the best one I’ve had yet. It narrowly beat out Oaked Unearthly by Southern Tier. Cheers to Cigar City for this one. Well done guys.

Drink on.

Review by Tim Campbell @vncentlife
BeerAdvocate - VncentLIFE