Disclaimer: We will come clean. This article was, unfortunately, written at a time when we were not aware that mats of bubbles are symptoms of a dirty glass. Just because we are Drink Me Dirty, it does not mean it is acceptable to drink from a dirty glass. Clean and rinse your glasswares properly. As better informed drinkers, we now vow to spread the gospel of clean glassware. Read more about this topic here. #DirtyGlassMafia
Name: Creme de la Creme
Brewers: Evil Twin Brewing NYC, Other Half Brewing Co. (USA)
Style: Mixed-Style Beer (Base Style: Specialty IPA: New England IPA)
ABV: 10%
Review Year: 2019
Procured fresh from the taproom, Creme de la Creme is a collaboration between two iconic craft breweries in the East Coast, Other Half and Evil Twin Brewing NYC. Creme de la Creme is a “Triple IPA” brewed with milk sugar (lactose), and hop varieties Citra, Galaxy, and Mosaic. Citra was used in whirlpool fashion while, the beer was dry-hopped with the three mentioned hops for enhanced aromas.
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 roughly over 10.5%.
TASTING NOTES
Creme de la Creme pours orange-yellow, with a noticeable foam. This beer immediately diffuses aromas of candied pineapples, gummy candies, and some pine to balance. This beer is medium-bodied, with the hops most likely contributing to the perceived notes of sweet pineapples, overripe oranges, and green tea. It seems the hops and lactose used contributed more to the sweetness of this beer as we picked up stevia sweetness on the palate. Meanwhile, candied oranges linger after a sip.
THE VERDICT
Overall, Creme de la Creme is an extremely juicy beer. What makes this more impressive is that at 10 percent ABV, the bitterness and alcohol notes were well-masked. Creme de la Creme is worthy of being called a proper East Coast powerhouse collab.
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