Fortnight Brewing “Best Behavior”

Style: IPA
ABV: 7.0%

This week we’re back out at the triangle for a new release. This time tasting a selection from Fortnight Brewing Company in Cary, NC. Joe recently visited the brewery as a potential rehearsal dinner option and couldn’t resist trying a beer or two while there. His fiancee (and sometimes guest reviewer), Lauren, actually tried this beer and suggested it for a review. So we grabbed a 4-pack brought it back to Greenville and wasted no time drinking it.

Nick’s Take

It’s always a pleasure going to the Raleigh metropolitan area and getting to visit so many great breweries at the source, and take home some beers for later. It’s also a pleasure when your friend goes to the Raleigh metropolitan area and brings back some beer for you (thanks, Joe!). I was so kindly gifted a can of “Best Behavior” from Fortnight Brewing Company the other day, and I like to think it was because I didn’t throw any tantrums during our camping trip the night before. 

To ward off the Sunday Scaries, I eagerly grabbed a tulip glass and poured up this double dry-hopped IPA. “Best Behavior” is super clean-looking, giving off a shiny gold appearance without anything to diffuse the light passing through it. I got a pretty hearty collar of bubbles in my glass, but they eventually dissipated into a faint ring and then were nowhere to be seen.

Based on the advertised hop bill, I knew to expect a nice medley of hop aromas. It was citrus-forward for me, with pronounced notes of orange and lemon zest. Upon further examination I found some piney, slightly vegetal hops on the nose. I think this helped give the IPA a nice boost in the aroma profile. I also picked up the malt a bit, which was very clean and unobtrusive. 

I’m never sure what to expect when it comes to mouthfeel in DDH IPAs. “Best Behavior” was notably kwispy and provided excitement upon each sip. The carbonation gave a pleasant bite that finished as a mild bitter/burning sensation in the back of the throat. It was medium-bodied and also drying, which allowed for my palate to slightly reset from the flavors I was picking up.

Speaking of flavor, this IPA definitely hits on a couple great hop characteristics. I like any kind of citrus-forward hops, but also like to get some bittering from those hops (like Chinook) that produce a piney flavor. I got more of an orange citrus flavor in “Best Behavior” than lemon, but there was definitely a burst of lemon tartness. I enjoyed the drink being rounded out by the mildly bitter hop flavor and light malt bill.

I wanted to score a little higher on drinkability because I did like this IPA, but because the mouthfeel is a little abrasive and it’s noticeably bitter, you might enjoy this more slowly and in limited quantities. I think this actually would go very well with dinner, including one of my favorite dishes, fish and chips. The citrus flavors would complement the fish, and IPAs tend to pair well with fried or fatty dishes. Definitely a DDH brew that I’d recommend!

Joe’s Take

This double dry hopped IPA looked good in my IPA glass. Admittedly, it didn’t look as good as it did in Fortnight’s branded tulip glass. However, this was still a beautiful beer. It was a crystal clear brew that poured a golden yellow in the glass. After pouring the beer into my glass it formed a thick collar of white bubbly foam, which slowly subsided to a nice ring around the beverage.

The aroma of the brew was strong and hop forward. It featured dank, musty hop aromas that were accompanied by harmonies of sweet stone fruit. The aroma reminded me of a hazy New England IPA, even though this beer’s appearance was about the furthest thing possible from that.

The mouthfeel of this beer was a little different than I expected with a medium-bodied chewiness to the beer. The mouthfeel was full on initial sipping and finished dry and crisp. The bright pangs of carbonation complimented the perceived fullness of the beer and helped wash it away.

The flavor of “Best Behavior” was surprisingly different than its aroma. While sweet stone fruit was on the forefront of my aromatic evaluation, it played as a complimentary undertone on the tasting. The majority of flavor I perceived was from the dry hopping, with vegetal grassy hops pulling through as the star. Juicy volatile hop compounds followed and the sweet undertones of malt added a layer of complexity to the beer. To me, the beer definitely lived up to its “double dry hopped” branding as these flavors were the star of the show.

“Best Behavior” could have you at your worst behavior after a few pints with its 7% ABV. This, combined with the intensity of the hop flavor, makes this beer a single pint in a session for me. It’s not that it isn’t easy to drink, but that everything else would pale in comparison (unless you’re drinking big boi stouts or triple IPAs in that session). I guess what I’m saying is either get to Fortnight or grab a 4-pack where you can to tell me what you think about it. I’d love to hear your thoughts.