Evil Twin NYC “TO THE MILKY WAY & BACK IV – PEACH, CLEMENTINE, RASPBERRY, LIME, VANILLA” Milkshake IPA

Name: TO THE MILKY WAY & BACK IV – PEACH, CLEMENTINE, RASPBERRY, LIME, VANILLA
Brewer: Evil Twin Brewing NYC (United States)
Style: Specialty Fruit Beer (Base Style: Fruit and Spice Beer)
ABV: 7.5%
Review Year: 2021

Evil Twin Brewing NYC turned up the summer flavors with TO THE MILKY WAY & BACK IV, a “Milkshake IPA” brewed with peach, clementine, raspberry, lime, and vanilla.

STYLE GUIDELINES

This beer is being evaluated as a Specialty Fruit Beer (29C) with Fruit and Spice Beer (29B) 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.

TASTING NOTES

Smoothie-like with fruit bits; murky reddish pale amber with an off-white head that did not last long. The nose evoked aromas of peach and raspberry gummy rings with hints of lime, vanilla, pandan, and fresh celery. Medium-full-bodied, low carbonation with a fruit juice-like mouthfeel and a slightly puckering afterfeel akin to drinking lime juice. The dominant flavor profile can be described as liquid gummy candy with explosive peach, raspberry, and medium lime-like tartness, or cherry-flavored Airheads candy dissolved in a glass of Four Seasons juice. The advertised vanilla was also present albeit faint. Bitterness was low, while sweetness was fairly high but was tempered by the citrusy tartness mentioned. The aftertaste lingered with slight citrusy tartness, vanilla, and graham crackers.

THE VERDICT

TO THE MILKY WAY & BACK IV is an explosive, tarty, and smoothie-like beer that showcased the advertised fruits and spice. It is quite a unique concoction that the traditional style guidelines may not hold strictly.

Despite being visible, the fruit bits did not hinder this beer from being drinkable. While some drinkers may favor a version with lower citrus acidity, it seems this character has played a role in taming the sweetness. Further, this “Milkshake IPA”  could have a more pronounced malt presence in our opinion. Enjoyable, yes, but this is not for the Reinheitsgebot purists.

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