Local Oak Brewing Co. “Living Holograms”

Style: Hazy IPA
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 10

We’ve got back-to-back Winterville, NC New Release posts this week! Today’s beer is brought to you by Local Oak Brewing Co.: “Living Holograms,” a hazy IPA that was just put on tap this week. As Local Oak has always delivered with their IPAs, we had to check this one out and felt so inclined to give it a tasting evaluation. Keep on reading to see how the two of us rated this one!

Joe’s Take

Is this real life? Or just a simulation? Or maybe we’re just some “Living Holograms.” Aside from invoking an existential crisis, this juicy haze bomb from Local Oak poured as an opaque pale yellow liquid into a tulip glass. It was super hazy and sported a thin white ring of head around the edge of glass.

The aroma of “Living Holograms” was all real and packed with juicy hop aroma. There were bountiful notes of dank hops, floral, and grassy tones. Sweetness poked its way through the hop bines present in the aroma and gave the beer sweet melon tones.

This beer was smooth and easy drinking. I’m always surprised how beers with so much hop character can be so smooth. It featured mild bitterness, a medium-body, and a nice level of carbonation.

“Living Holograms” was mildly sweet and had an evenly matched bitterness. The flavor profile was all hops with a nice subtle malt undertone. There were bountiful flavors of stone fruit, sweet melon, and a hint of piney resin. Having this beer fresh (tasting it the day it was put on tap) made those volatile hop aroma compounds pop and I may have to give it a try in a couple weeks (if it lasts that long) to see how the flavors evolve. Drinking dry hopped beer fresh is key.

With a heavy helping of aroma hops and a light addition of bittering hops, this beer was super smooth and drinkable. The mouthfeel and flavor profile made it easy to get down. I could easily see myself sitting at a picnic table under the oak on a hot day downing a few of these with some friends. I suggest you get down to Local Oak and give it a try while its still on tap.

Nick’s Take

I knew this IPA was hazy due to the style being of the New England variety, but the opacity of “Living Holograms” was especially juicy-looking. The cloudy yellow-orange hue with the smallest touch of white foam on top made for an attractive and enticing IPA that appeared smooth, creamy, and juicy.

There was no shortage of fragrance in this IPA, with plenty of evidence of the dry hopping that Ben (Local Oak’s brewer) implemented. Plenty of aroma from the Cashmere and Idaho 7 hops that give a nice floral, juicy, and slightly resinous profile. A touch of melon and citrus fruits round out the aromas I detected throughout my tasting, and I enjoyed that it seemed to evolve from start to finish.

The mouthfeel of “Living Holograms” was pretty smooth and soft overall, making it very palatable. The carbonation is present but mild, and it’s a nice medium-bodied IPA. There was an element of viscosity in my opinion, with maybe a bit of mouthcoating. However, for a dry-hopped IPA it left very little bitterness behind.

I almost can’t describe all the flavors in “Living Holograms” but I can portray the evident characteristics (and frankly am probably guessing a little on some of the nuanced flavors). It’s certainly very juicy and that comes in the form of both citrus and a bit of melon flavor. Again, the hop varieties seemed to offer some resin to the flavor but it was majorly juicy and floral. It had a nice freshness to it, and made for a delicious hazy IPA.

Despite a 7.5% ABV, “Living Holograms” drinks so smoothly and easily. I could see myself downing several of these (and getting a ride home) on a nice summer evening, while enjoying any of the local food trucks that frequent Local Oak. If you aren’t into bitter IPAs, this brew will be your best friend as far as IPAs go. This was just kegged so get down to the brewery to enjoy some pints and maybe take some home in a crowler!