Style: Double NEIPA
ABV: 8.5%
Joe’s Take
This week we’re back at Casita Brewing Company in Wilson, NC (you may remember them from our first new release post). After playing a quick round of disc golf at the relatively new and highly fun Farmville, NC course, we made the short journey up to Wilson to grab the newest IPA in “The Singularity” single hop series. This installment, “The Singularity: Pacific Sunrise,” showcased, as you guessed it, Pacific Sunrise hops. These are a New Zealand variety that I haven’t seen in too many beers to date. Tasting notes from the readily available information on these hops describe lemon/orange citrus with backing undertones of melon, mango, and stone fruit. I encourage you to grab one of these beers or a brew using these hops to try out a relatively underused hop variety. Now, on to the tasting…
The hazy double New England IPA was served in a plastic pint glass. Unfortunate, but often necessary in the days ravaged by COVID. Hazy and opaque were some of the first descriptors that came to mind when seeing the brew. Light barely passed through the pale yellow-orange liquid, likely owing to the use of oats and lactose in the brewing process. There was a persistent, thin, white head that sat atop the beer and I’m wondering how this would have looked in an IPA glass.
It was evident that this was a New England style IPA from the aromas that seeped from the glass. There were strong notes of dank, citrusy, tropical hops. Sweet malt aromas were not to be ignored and were present in each sniff. On deeper sniffs, sweet boozy notes became more apparent and pushed away some of the more volatile hop compounds.
After taking a few sips to cleanse my palate from the first beer I had at Casita, I took in a mouthfeel of the beer. It was soft and smooth with a medium body, again likely owing to the adjuncts used in the brewing process. It was not drying and didn’t have any astringent hop characteristics. It left the mouth slightly coated, and had a slight juicy character.
I am a fan of IPAs and double IPAs, especially New England style varieties. That being said, this beer did not let me down. It had a more malt forward profile that provided a sweet bread-like character to the hoppy beer. Not surprisingly, hop characters were ever present in the brew and I could pick up on some of the citrusy and tropical flavors imparted by the Pacific Sunrise hops. In my opinion and personal taste, the beer could have used a touch more bitterness to balance out the malt forward flavor of the beer. With double IPAs the amplified hop character requires a strong malt bill to balance the flavors, but for me this was a touch too heavy on malt character. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed the beer and am just being a nit-picky beer blogger.
Being a strong flavored beer, food pairing will require some stronger flavors that will balance out or play to the strengths of the beer. My first inclination (and craving at the moment) is to pair this with a blue cheese bacon burger. I think the strong cheese would stand up to the double IPA flavors and the residual fats would be scrubbed away by hop bitterness and character.
As for drinkability, I think the flavor and overall perception of this beer make it easy to get down. However, the high ABV of 8.5% and strong flavors imparted by a double IPA make it tough to session or crush. I think it is a good beer to be enjoyed as a single part of any drinking session.
Thanks again for taking the time to read our thoughts on the glorious beverage that is beer. Please leave your thoughts on the post in a comment below. We would love to hear from you. Cheers!
Abbreviated tasting notes
Appearance: Hazy and opaque. Pale yellow, resemblance to pineapple juice. Persistent thin white head. (4/5)
Aroma: Hoppy nose, dank and tropical tones. Slight alcoholic note. Deep inhales with boozy sweetness. (4/5)
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, soft, not drying to the palate. Somewhat juicy feeling. (4/5)
Taste: Malt forward. Noticeable hop character, dank and juicy, giving those typical NEIPA vibes. Could have used a touch more hop bitterness to strike that perfect balance. (4/5)
Drinkability: Being a double IPA with a high ABV, probably not the most sessionable beer. However, flavor and characterstics make it easy to drink. (4/5)
Total: (20/25)
Nick’s Take
Welcome to another new release beer review! Hopefully you have been able to find your way to some of the breweries we’ve covered in the past to get your own perspective on fresh beers that we’ve reviewed. It was nice to make our way back to Casita Brewing Company in Wilson, NC recently to try one of the new beers they have put on tap; this place will certainly have a special place in my heart for being the first in what we hope to be a long list of new release blog posts.
It was getting dark when we arrived at Casita, thanks to daylight savings time, but the weather was comfortable enough to grab our beers and sit outside in their beer garden. Because natural light was disappearing, Joe and I had to get creative and artsy with some photos, using the light from strings of bulbs that were adorned on the beer garden fencing and the lightposts overhead. It was enough to see the beautiful and appealing orange-yellow color that this double NEIPA displays. It was of course quite hazy, and it sported a wispy head that laced on the sides of the cup.
I took some time to search the smells produced from this complex beer, which contains a variety of aromatics. I noticed some strong juicy hop up front on some short inhalations and continued until I put my finger on the fruity tones I was smelling – melon. It was also pretty sweet on the nose, and I got whiffs of boozy notes upon some deeper smells. Not surprising, considering the higher ABV of this beer and the style in general.
I enjoyed the profile of aromas I had noted, and was curious how this brew would feel and taste. Instead of being sharp or brash, which can happen with some NEIPAs or DIPAs, the mouthfeel was quite soft, and the carbonation produced a fluffy texture. After another sip and confirming the body of the beer, I detected just a slight bit of dryness in the finish. It was not overbearing and did not produce a burn in the throat, so it was still mostly smooth to drink.
While it certainly packs some booziness, I’d put it more on par with something like a sweet white wine or maybe champagne in how it reacts on the tongue and taste buds. I enjoyed this quality of sweetness to go along with the tropical fruit flavors from the Pacific Sunrise hops. I mostly smelled melon, but upon a few sips to taste, I noticed some pineapple and mango characteristics. Again, I was surprised to not find more pure hoppy qualities in the tasting, but that goes to show that a beer’s style and the preconception you have are not always going to align with your drinking experience.
I didn’t rush drinking this double NEIPA, as I was happy to savor the flavor and not chug down a beer coming in at 8.5%. “The Singularity: Pacific Sunrise” does a nice job showcasing what that hop variety has to offer, and I think this beer series is a fantastic idea. My recommendation is to either enjoy this beer as a standalone item, or stop by Casita when they are hosting a food truck. You probably couldn’t go wrong pairing this double NEIPA with any food truck fare, but I could see it being a strong complement to a brisket mac and cheese or some spicy tacos if you enjoy some heat.
Make your way to Casita while this beer is on tap, and enjoy their new year-round beer garden! Rain, wind, or cold are not an issue now with the new covered setup they’ve installed. Thanks for reading, and happy drinking!
Abbreviated tasting notes
Appearance: Hazy orange-yellow color, soft wispy head that leaves some lace on the glass (or plastic cup). (4.5/5)
Aroma: Hoppy on the nose with some melon-like notes. (4/5)
Mouthfeel: A soft and fluffy beer that is pretty smooth but just a touch of dryness in the finish. (4/5)
Taste: Some sweet booziness that is on par with a champagne or white wine, but finishes with some pineapple, melon, and mango flavors. (4/5)
Drinkability: Wouldn’t be easy to crush due to ABV, but pleasant to drink due to the complexity of flavor. (3.5/5)
Total: 20/25
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