Name: Mind Burst
Brewer: Calusa Brewing (United States)
Style: Mixed-Style Beer (Base Style: Specialty IPA: New England IPA)
ABV: 10.5%
Review Year: 2020
Calusa Brewing is an independent craft brewery from Sarasota, Florida that specializes in hop-forward beers, classic styles, barrel-aged, and mixed-culture fermentation. Mind Burst is their take on a double dry-hopped “Triple” New England IPA brewed with the hop varieties Sabro, Citra, and Denali.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Mixed-Style Beer (34B) with the Specialty IPA: New England IPA (21B) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
As of this writing, the “Triple IPA” is not an official and explicit style in the BJCP; thus, these beers still lack a comprehensive set of style guidelines. For the hazy and juicy variants, these Triple IPAs could simply be bigger-than-double versions of a New England IPA or Hazy IPA with an ABV of around 10%.
TASTING NOTES
Mind Burst pours hazy pale straw color with a foamy white head. This beer smells like a fruit cocktail with tons of fresh pineapples and lemon. First impression on the palate: a very dry and crisp medium-bodied beer with a moderate level of carbonation. The flavor balances orange pith, ripe pineapple, and lemon peel. Some noted a light impression of strawberries. While bursting at 10.5% ABV, alcohol presence is somewhat muted. Bitterness is also on the down-low. A slight peppery flavor is also noted. A light residual fruity sweetness remains after a sip and leaves the palate quite dry.
THE VERDICT
Excellent. Even at 10.5% ABV, Mind Burst unleashes masterfully the drinkability and flavor of a New England IPA sans the sweetness of overly overripe fruits noted in other “Triples” currently in the market. For some of us, it is like a “dry” NEIPA that makes you want to drink more after each sip. To quote a member of our tasting panel, “Drinking this beer was an adventure. It’s low-key complex.”
Recommended Reading:
Flavor Fever: Seeing Through the Haze of Double and Triple Juicy IPAs (Craft Beer & Brewing, 2020)
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