Name: Shared Trait
Brewers: Parish Brewing Co., Cerebral Brewing (United States)
Style: Specialty IPA: New England IPA
ABV: 8.5%
Review Year: 2021
Shared Trait is a collaborative “Double IPA” between Parish Brewing Co. (Louisiana) and Cerebral Brewing (Colorado). The two used the best parts of the grain bills of their flagship beers– Ghost in the Machine and Rare Trait– and mixed them with malted wheat, oats, and Mosaic Incognito. The New Zealand hop, Motueka, and the Australian variety, Galaxy were used in dry-hopping this beer.
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
Mango juice-like appearance with a medium-low white head with good retention. The initial sniff already unveiled a bouquet of moderately strong ripe peach and mango. Revisiting, this beer highlighted more bright citrus fruits (e.g., pineapple, orange, lime zest), and a touch of bread. Medium-bodied; moderate carbonation. The first wave of flavors included prominent ripe mango, peach, and resin notes. This was followed by another wave that included “dank” or onion-like and bready qualities (moderately low), together with very low spice-like, vegetal, and oaty impressions. Low alcohol; medium-low bitterness; dry finish (almost no residual sweetness). The aftertaste lingered with lime zest, resin, and lychee, while a subtle chalky/ gritty afterfeel became evident as the beer settled.
THE VERDICT
Benchmarked as a New England IPA (or a Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double IPA if you are using the 2021 Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines), Shared Trait is an excellent showcase of hops with ripe peach, mango, and resiny qualities leading the charge. Beyond the bright citrusy hop frontier, we also noted a “dank” or onion-like flavor that added more character to this beer. The newer American hop varieties are noted to cover a wide range of flavors from tropical fruits (e.g., pineapple, mango) to dank marijuana, and even pungent sulfur notes akin to green onion and garlic.
The aroma and flavor profiles of this beer are spot on, but the intensity of the former could still be increased slightly. In our opinion, the body and carbonation felt appropriate, but the chalky/ gritty afterfeel, which may have been contributed by the water, could still be tempered. The oat flavor was a nice balancing touch to the assertive hop flavors; however, we think said ingredient could still contribute a fuller, softer, and silkier mouthfeel to the beer. A vegetal hint was also noted and may be a polarizing trait to some drinkers. Lastly, we also noticed that Shared Trait finished on the drier side relative to other similar beers in the market. Despite this, said attribute is still far from the level of dryness found typically in a Brett Beer (28A). Best enjoyed after a long tiring day.
Related Reviews:
Cerebral Brewing
Parish Brewing Co.
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