Style: New England IPA
ABV: 6.6%
Joe’s Take
This week’s NC beer of the week involves a relatively new brewery for me, Salty Turtle Beer Company. I have only had one beer produced by the Surf City, NC brewery in the past and have yet to visit their taproom. I hope to make my way out soon and do a coastal brew tour there and in the surrounding areas. For now, I’ll have to get a taste of their beer through the selection Nick so graciously picked up from Tapped here in Greenville.
The beer up for review is “Surf City Sunrise” and the name instantly makes me think of sitting by the beach and watching the sunrise on a hot summer morning. The description of the beer posted on the pastel-colored label alluded to vibes of tropical juices and prominent fruit in this NEIPA, piquing my interest. So, without further ado, let’s get to the review.
“Surf City Sunrise” poured a golden hue that lit up when placed in the sunlight from the open window blinds. The beer was hazy and the light flowing through made it appear to glow in the sunlight. A thick fluffy head immediately puffed up and filled the top portion of the glass. After sitting for a minute or two, the head dissipated to a thin lacy ring around the edge of the glass.
On the nose, I picked up sweet tropical fruit and dank hops, a combination that I have come to love. The concentrated aromas from the IPA glass made the hops shine and underneath that lupulin goodness, a few hints of caramel sweetness and malt notes peeked through.
The mouthfeel was silky smooth thanks to the addition of some lactose during the brewing process (is it really a beer if it doesn’t have ‘tose?, untappdwtf followers will get that). After a brief moment, the smooth mouthfeel of the beer was cut back a bit by some building carbonation and this helped to clear away some of the mouthcoating character of the brew. After a sip, my mouth felt hydrated and was not left dry.
As this is a NEIPA and after completing the aromatic evaluation, there was no question that hops were the star in the flavor profile. There was a nice balance between juicy tropical flavors and refreshing bitterness. The bitterness of the brew seemed to follow the tropical pineapple and mango-centric flavor profile and really woke up on the finish. This bitterness seemed to be different than a lot of NEIPAs I have had in the past and I welcome the difference. It added to the complexity of the flavor profile in a pleasant way.
If I had to pair this with food, I would go with beach grill cuisine…but maybe that’s because the beer is making me reminisce of beach days during these winter months.
After having “Surf City Sunrise” I’m anxious to get out and see what other beers Salty Turtle has to offer. Not to mention I’ll be dreaming of sitting in a beach chair with a cooler full of beer by my side. Cheers!
Abbreviated tasting notes
Appearance: Golden hue, glows in the light. Nice haze and fluffy white head. (4.5/5)
Aroma: Tropical hops, some hop dankness, slight hints of malty sweetness. (3.5/5)
Mouthfeel: Smooth, lactose baby. Carbonation cleans away the mouthcoating. (4/5)
Taste: Tropical hops, pineapple, mango. Hop bitterness that plays well with the juicy flavor. (4/5)
Drinkability: Relatively crushable, would go down easy on a hot summer beach day. (4/5)
Total: 20/25
Nick’s Take
Hello everyone, and thanks for checking out another installment of our NC Beer of the Week series. It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve written up a review (big thanks to Joe for keeping us on track on his own last week). Today was a lot kinder to me than last Monday and I’m ready to get back to sharing some of my thoughts on beer. I visited one of our local favorites, Tapped, the other day, and got a pint of Salty Turtle Beer Company’s “Manila Mango” New England IPA with my friend, Collin. It was a slightly sweeter and lighter NEIPA than I’ve had recently and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to bring Salty Turtle to the forefront of the blog this week. Tapped had a few Salty Turtle options in the bottle shop, but I decided on a pack of another NEIPA called “Surf City Sunrise.” This collaborative beer was brewed and canned by Fortnight Brewing Company (you may recall a review we did on “Electric Overdrive”) for Salty Turtle, who is based in, of course, Surf City, NC.
After opening a can of “Surf City Sunrise” and pouring out its contents, I observed that it was a different looking beer than “Manila Mango.” This left me excited to know that I’d be in store for an entirely different experience with this NEIPA. The can yielded a golden beer with a bit of haze, but most notable was the prominent foam that sat atop the liquid below. The head was very bubbly and soft-looking, and after a few minutes, it had disappeared for the most part (though left cobwebs of foam laced around the inner walls of the glass).
One of my favorite aspects of New England IPAs in particular is their characteristically juicy aromatic profile. “Surf City Sunrise” is no exception, as I detected juicy, tropical fruits on my initial inspection. The design of my Spiegelau IPA glass allows for the subtleties to really come forth. I retrieved mandarin orange or clementine aromas first and most often, and they played well with the floral hop aromas. I also found some mango and peach tones underneath. Typically, when I smell peach in a beer, I’m completely inaccurate and it’s not part of the brew recipe, but in this case…well, I was wrong again. However, the brewers make note of starfruit and mango being present for this NEIPA, and starfruit can bear similar attributes to plums, which, like mangoes, are stone fruits (along with…peaches). Besides trying to make myself feel better, I think it’s important to note that sometimes you have to trust your instincts and your nose when doing a beer tasting.
Stepping away from my digression, I moved on to taking some sips of “Surf City Sunrise” after noting the aromas. There was a noticeable, yet mild bite from the carbonation that only lingered for a brief moment and finished smooth. This beer seemed to have a light-to-medium body and was not abrasive on the palate. While it had a creamy quality, I found myself with a little bit of mouth-drying after several consecutive sips, which was a bit surprising. Nonetheless, this NEIPA was not overly bitter, carbonated, or drying, which made for a nice drinking experience.
My tasting notes were not too far off from my notes on the aroma, but there was a noticeable difference in that I tasted some pineapple that didn’t register when I was smelling the beer earlier. I enjoyed this along with those melon and mango flavors, which created a nice tropical medley. The hops were floral and juicy (not notably bitter for my taste), providing me with refreshing and delicious flavors upon each drink. I didn’t get a lot of malt but definitely enjoyed how it meshed with the fruit flavors and hops, making for a slightly sweet finish.
As cliche and expected as this will sound, “Surf City Sunrise” deserves to be consumed on the beach or at least by some body of water and with the sun beating down on you. For a New England IPA, it was on the lighter and sweeter side, which I found to be appealing. I enjoy a lot of NEIPAs, but in some cases it would not be wise to drink them out in the sun (if you want to maintain some level of sobriety). At 6.6% ABV, this NEIPA would go well with summer and I look forward to that pairing in the near future – hopefully in Surf City for a visit to Salty Turtle Brewing Company.
Abbreviated tasting notes
Appearance: Gold with slight haze. A generous, foamy head forms when poured and leaves a web of bubbles around the glass. (4.5/5)
Aroma: Mandarin orange/clementine, peach, mango notes. Hops are floral and juicy-smelling. Faint malt aromas detected. (4.5/5)
Mouthfeel: Mild carbonation bite, medium-bodied, and slightly drying finish. (4/5)
Taste: Juicy melon, citrus, pineapple, and those floral hops come together. A touch of bitterness from the hops but it’s balanced by the sweet fruit flavors. (4/5)
Drinkability: A relatively light NEIPA (only 6.6%) that I was able to drink quite quickly. Very reminiscent of the beach – hoping summer gets here soon! (4.5/5)
Total: 21.5/25
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