Spacewolf Hazy IPA
Brewery: Zilker Brewing Co
Style: Specialty IPA (21B)
Package: 12oz Can
Purchased: HEB Tech Ridge, August, 2019
Canned Date: August 12, 2019
Consumed Date: September 26, 2019
Details From the Brewer
ABV: 6.8%
This one pours a beautiful light yellow with an amazing frothy head. Started with a base of pilsner malt, then played around with other malts that we typically don’t use; malted oats, flaked barley and chit malt. This combination creates a super full body upfront with a clean almost dry finish; perfect when its 104 out…
We dipped into our Galaxy hops on this one, and complemented it with Simcoe cryo and Azacca cryo, giving off a ripe pineapple flavor with an overall tropical complexity. We may have brewed this with another East Side brewery.
Review
Aroma – 10/12
Moderate high notes of pineapple, orange peel, and guava pops out immediately. More hop character rounds this out with green grapes, strawberry, and a bit of resinous dankness. There is a perception of sweetness, and some grainy doughy malt character as well.
Appearance – 3/3
A deep, vibrant yellow liquid pours with a bit of viscosity. Small and fine bubbles make up a tall head that persists with fantastic retention.
Flavor – 16/20
Hops are the star of the show. Orange citrus, pineapple and strawberry hit the tongue first. This is rounded out with a bit of mango, pine, and stinky passionfruit. A wheat, bread dough malt appears in the midtaste. Bitterness is low, but still present. Fruity flavors fade a bit towards the finish, with a grainy malt coming through with a touch of vegetal. The fruity hop character give a slight perception of sweetness, but the beer finishes dry.
Mouthfeel – 4/5
Medium-full bodied with a good amount of creaminess, but not overly chewy or thick. A low level of hop oil slickens the back of the mouth. Moderate carbonation prickles the tongue. Some hop astringency lingers on the finish.
Overall Impression – 8/10
As far as hazy IPA goes, this is a good one. The hop selection here works great with the flavors complimenting each other well. The lack of B.O. or onion flavors is refreshing. To bump this up to top of its class, the astringency on the finish needs to be cleaned up. This could be from too-long of contact with hop matter. The vegetal note in the flavor might be coming from this too.
Rating – 41/50
Spacewolf is a collaboration with Oddwood Ales, and showcases how both breweries know how to use hops. Over the past 2 years, Zilker has really increased their IPA game, and it’s shown in some of their limited releases. When I originally bought a sixer of this, I had a can immediately. A lot of the same flavors came through, but it had significant hop burn, or what some people call green. After having cans over the next few weeks, it had faded by week 2. Something to keep in mind if you don’t like those sharp/astringent notes that come in some uber-fresh IPAs.
