Name: Truco
Brewer: Madbul Cerveza Artesana (Philippines)
Style: Specialty IPA: New England IPA
ABV: 9.5 %
Review Year: 2020
The latest outturn from Madbul Cerveza Artesana head brewer, Eric de Jesus is Truco, a hazy and creamy “Munich Pale Ale” with 9.5% ABV. The name of the beer gives it away– drinking Truco is a tricky encounter as it blurs the lines of modern craft beer styles.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Specialty IPA: New England IPA (21B) in the context of the provisional guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) for the said beer style. The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Truco pours a very hazy deep gold color with a firm white-yellow head. The nose explodes with cantaloupe and ripe carabao mangoes, supported by aromas akin to orange citrus and some mango jam.
Truco feels like a medium-full bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is distinctly soft and creamy. Between hops and malts, the perceived flavor balance of this beer seems to lean closer to the former as tangerines, mangoes, and supportive watermelon, cantaloupe, and indistinct floral fruitiness come pouring in. A familiar accent of pecan nuts and dried watermelon seeds surface– something we associate with the Mandarina Bavaria hops. Meanwhile, malt flavors seem to manifest as toasty.
The yeast strain used to ferment this beer remains unknown but it may have contributed citrus fruit esters and some funkiness that complement the hop flavors. A slight sweetness akin to ripe cantaloupe and watermelon is also noted, while alcohol is well-restrained. The aftertaste lingers with impressions of pecan nuts, cantaloupe, and bittersweet oranges. The beer leaves the palate puckery. Interestingly, some hints of black peppers were also noted very late.
THE VERDICT
Even with the absence of firm benchmarks for this beer, Truco is a very aromatic and tasty “avant-garde” beer that gives an overall impression of a juicy, rich, and complex New England IPA brewed with some unusual yeast strain but hits hard with its high ABV. Now we understand why this beer was named as such.
If you were able to try this beer, how would you classify it? What other beers does it remind you of? Feel free to comment below.
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