Style: NEIPA
ABV: 7.5%
Nick’s Take
People say “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Well, in our case, we don’t stray far from the Local Oak. That sounded a lot better in my head…
If you blink, you’ll miss a couple new releases from Local Oak Brewing Co. due to the work this group does to produce new, quality beer on a regular basis. As it was, Joe and I had a few new brews to try and made our way there to see what was in store for us. After perusing the menu board in its updated status, we knew we were going to have to try at least a couple, but settled on reviewing the “Giant Meteor 2020” IPA. This New England IPA boasts a solid 7.5% ABV and was reminiscent of their “My Hops Don’t Lie” NEIPA that we reviewed a short while back (give that a read if you want to see how these two compare/contrast).
The body of the beer was a juicy looking orange-yellow, and was opaque throughout. It sported a thin, fleeting head that only left a small collar around the rim of the tall tulip glass. As I mentioned, this had an uncanny resemblance to some other NEIPAs I’ve had at Local Oak, but as I’ve experienced, no two beers are exactly the same.
I had to give the glass a couple twirls to try bringing forth those volatiles, as my first go at smelling the beer was not particularly successful. However, once I agitated things a bit and saw a small layer of foam at the crest of the glass, I took a few short inhales. Immediately, I was taken by the strong notes of tropical fruits – namely pineapple, with a hint of coconut. Some deeper inhales produced faint aromas of citrus fruit and floral hops that had the slightest bit of dankness. It was truly an intoxicating aromatic profile and I was eager to see how it would taste and how the hops would contribute to the mouthfeel.
Having already made a mental comparison to “My Hops Don’t Lie” I was expecting a similar mouthfeel (a bit of harshness and bitterness on the tongue and back of the throat). This NEIPA iteration, however, was very smooth and carried little bitterness. There was a great crispness to it as it hit the tip of the tongue, and its light-to-medium body made for a smooth finish. It was difficult to slow my sips because each one made me thirsty for another.
Having downed a quarter of the beer just from evaluating the body and mouthfeel, I continued the trend while I was putting the taste to the test. I was excited to find those same tropical fruit flavors I detected in the aroma profile, with pineapple being the star of the show. A close second was the juicy, floral flavors I got from the hops, and a slight hint of orange juice. Overall, I thought this beer had a very well-balanced flavor profile.
I could easily drink a few of these NEIPAs, which is not something I normally say. The danger lies in the high ABV, but it’s a very aromatic and flavorful beer. It’s pleasant and smooth to drink, the flavors are not too overbearing, and everything comes together very well. If I didn’t have to drive, I would’ve gone back for seconds or thirds.
Abbreviated tasting notes
Appearance: Orange-yellow color, opaque, thin fleeting head. (4.5/5)
Aroma: Tropical fruit (pineapple, coconut) notes with citrus juice and light dank hop aroma. (4.5/5)
Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, crispness, and not much punch or harshness from hops, making for a smooth, pleasant mouthfeel. (5/5)
Taste: Juicy tropical flavors of pineapple and light citrus/orange notes, balanced with floral hops. (4.5/5)
Drinkability: Smooth and easy to drink despite being a NEIPA and a higher ABV. (4/5)
Total: 22.5/25
Joe’s Take
This week we find ourselves back at one of our favorite local breweries, Local Oak Brewing Co. They recently released “Giant Meteor 2020” and the timing couldn’t be better with this wild ride we’re calling a presidential election. Unlike the choices we have to make on that end, this one is a no brainer and we’re voting for this NEIPA to be your next brew.
“Giant Meteor 2020” was served in a tulip glass as Local Oak usually does for their IPA’s (check out our glassware post for the reason behind this). In the glass it was a pale orange color that reminded me of a creamsicle and was definitely one hazy boi. It was even difficult to see the light from my cellphone flashlight through the beer. It poured with a thin head that didn’t stick around for too long, but that didn’t seem to impact the aromas coming from the beer.
Speaking of smells, this was one of my favorite parts of the beer: sweet citrusy and tropical aromas just bursting out of the glass. When smelling the beer from a distance the sweet fruity aromas were amplified and on deep inhale I found myself picking up some more hidden dank hop aromas. The complexity of the nose of this beer was phenomenal and had me ready to try a sip. I couldn’t get enough of the aroma and if anyone saw me doing my aromatic evaluation at the brewery they must have thought I was a pretentious nut.
The mouthfeel of “Giant Meteor 2020” was smooth and medium bodied. There were light notes of carbonation that weren’t prickly, but almost made the beer “fuzzy” on the tongue. The mouthfeel was gentle enough to allow for a proper tasting but still provided good carbonation.
Balanced: that’s the word I would use to describe the beer’s flavor profile. The super sweet aromas faded off on tasting and were well balanced by the hop character of the beer. It wasn’t overly bitter or overly sweet but detectably both. There were notes of citrus and tropical fruits that were balanced out by a lightly vegetal hop bitterness on the finish. The beer was not as sweet as I expected after smelling and I think this is a great thing. This may be one of my most controversial food pairings yet, but I think the tropical flavors and sweet/bitter combo would go excellently with a Hawaiian pizza. I hope too many of you don’t immediately shun the website after I just recommended pineapple on pizza.
Overall, I’m glad we voted for “Giant Meteor 2020” as our new release for the week and I think this is one of my new favorite beers from our friends over at Local Oak Brewing Co.
Abbreviated tasting notes:
Appearance: Haze bomb, orange, like a creamsicle, thin fleeting head. (4/5)
Aroma: Orange, guava, pineapple, fruitsplosion, Hi-C, sneaky dank hop aromas on deeper inhalations. (5/5)
Mouthfeel: Soft, light carbonation, like a fuzzy peach, juicy, not drying. (4/5)
Taste: Citrus, not too sweet, good hop balance. Very well balanced, finish is floral and lightly sweet. (4.5/5)
Drinkability: crushable, balance makes drinkability frighteningly good for 7.5% ABV. (4.5/5)
Total: 22/25
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