Friday, April 24, 2015

Beer Review: Vagabond

Reviewing Vagabond, a collaboration IPA with mosaic and simcoe hops from Mike Saboe (former Toppling Goliath head brewer) and Tree House Brewing Company out of Monson, Massachusetts.

Score: 96

Growlered on 04/02/15. Served in a Kate The Great snifter/tulip hybrid glass and enjoyed on 04/22/15. Thank you Rudzud for the hook up!

Appearance: Pours an opaque, orange-yellow color with two fingers of white, seafoam head that settles to a thin layer. Very good lacing, good retention. 4.5/5

Smell: Smells like Alpine Nelson spiked with a heavy dose of tropical fruits. Dank pine, oodles of grapefruit, mango, pineapple, kiwi, orange soda-like orange, and a waft of alcohol. A kiss of biscuity malt in the background. Quite the bouquet. 4.75/5

Taste: Has a sweet and creamy tropical fruit mix on the palate with a nice, dry bitter finish and a lingering melon and grapefruit flavor. Delicious. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, low carbonation. Has a bit of heft for an IPA. The carbonation is a bit light for the profile, but that is more an observation rather than a negative here. Has a nice bitter-leaning balance and dry finish. 4.5/5

Overall: It was probably not the best idea to start our tasting with this beer, as it blew the rest out of the IPA's out of the water. This Mike Saboe/Treehouse collaboration lives up to every neckbeard's wet dream. This brew is reminisce of Alpine Nelson (the ones I have had recently, as opposed to the apparently atypical/"off" bottle I reviewed several years ago), with added complexity and a bit more heft to the mouthfeel. Seek this one out with confidence while it's still fresh/available-ish!

Cost: $20 for a 750 ml growler fill.

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