Barrel Culture Brewing & Blending “Yellow Livin’ Room Set”

Style: Hazy IPA
ABV: 7.5%

Happy Memorial Day! With the outdoor celebrations that ensue on the day we honor our country’s heroes, we thought we could try a can of brew that states it pairs with outdoor activities and front porch sittin’. The beer in question is “Yellow Livin’ Room Set” by Barrel Culture Brewing & Blending. The bright yellow can adorned with a TV set displaying images of lemons gives you an idea as to what is to come with the beer.

Joe’s Take

The hazy IPA poured a pale milky golden color, almost like a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice. The beer was completely opaque and had a thick collar of foam that puffed up out of the glass. The head dissipated into a thin layer after a few moments. 

The aroma was juicy and all hop goodness. The fruity citrus notes imparted by the Lemondrop and Citra hops as well as the lemon zest conditioning gave the nose of the brew qualities I liken to Lemonhead candies. Mixed in with the citrusy hop aromas I detected notes of sweet melon, stone fruit, and a slightly herbaceous character. 

Mouthfeel of “Yellow Livin’ Room Set” was pleasant and not overly heavy or carbonated. The beer was smooth and wet. It was easy to drink and kept me going back for sip after sip. 

As taste and smell are so intertwined it’s no surprise that the flavor of the brew matched the notes taken by my nose. I was immediately struck with citrus (lemon/clementine), some sweet melon, and a hint of tropical fruit. There was a similarity in flavor to Lemonheads but instead of being all sweet and sour citrus like the candy, the beer was less acidic and sweet than I expected. On retronasal olfaction, there was a nice bready malt character that pulled through and balanced out some of the strong hop flavors/aromas. 

Overall, this beer would be pretty refreshing and a great addition to your beer lineup on a warm day, especially if you are outside grilling up some freedom. 

Nick’s Take

My pour of “Yellow Livin’ Room Set” went into my Teku glass, which I realized hadn’t been used in a while. The color showed as a dull, hazy goldenrod, not allowing much in terms of transparency. The frothy collar that formed was a soft white that appeared very bubbly and crisp. It faded away somewhat quickly to just a faint ring on top of the beer. My first impression was that this beer would be juicy and bright.

There was a great medley of fruit aromas coming from this IPA. The strong notes of lemon and orange seemed to align with the color of the beer. I also enjoyed some tropical tones in the form of some pineapple, which helped to mellow out the acidic, tart citrus emissions. The hop character was citrusy and tropical through and through, while the malt aroma snuck in under the radar as kind of a wheat bread smell.

I might’ve expected this to be a little more spritzy and carbonated based on the bubbly head I watched when I poured the can into my glass, but it was more subdued. It was a light and pleasant level of carbonation throughout each sip, with no aggressive mouthfeel. I’d say it was light to medium-bodied, and had an acidic presence – no doubt from the Lemondrop and Citra hops. That little bit of acidic buildup after several sips allowed the tart flavors to linger around, only to be washed away with each new drink. There was only a minor level of drying taking place.

The citrus flavors really shone in the taste of the beer. All the signs were there with the lemon and orange aromas on the nose and the acidity detected in the mouthfeel, but you really get a burst of lemon tartness as the beer hits your taste buds. Waves of mandarin orange and a little pineapple juice hit my palate, too, but not before the acidic lemon notes got there. What I really enjoyed was that this didn’t resemble some kind of sour ale/IPA hybrid, but rather an IPA that maintained juicy, citrusy hop flavors and really accentuated the citrus. 

As an IPA touting a 7.5% ABV, “Yellow Livin’ Room Set” was incredibly easy to drink. Since it relied on fruity and citrusy hops, there wasn’t much bitterness to speak of, and the flavors really allowed for crushing this beer. I’m pretty thankful that Goat Island Bottle Shop had this brew for sale, and to Joe for handpicking it. Take a look at your local beer retailer for cans of “Yellow Livin’ Room Set” if you’re looking for a juicy and crushable IPA.