Toisella maistokerralla ei enää niin voimakkaat ja luotaan työntävät aromit, vaikkakin edelleen osittain läsnä. Nyt enemmän läsnä yleisenä tunkkaisuutena. Lopulta ihan mukavaa ja hedelmäistä juotavaa.

Kevyen rusehtavan oranssista ja sameaa. Kepoinen ja pienikuplainen vaahto. Tuoksu makeahkon ja kevyen trooppisen hedelmäinen, tunkkainen sekä runsaan bensainen ja tupakkainen(?) Maku tunkkaisen ja makean trooppisen hedelmäinen (ananasta, mangoa, aprikoosia), bensiininen, tupakkainen, kumimainen, ruohoinen, kepeän ja pehmeähkön vaalean maltainen sekä maltillisen humalaisen katkera. Todella oudot ja osin jopa epämiellyttävät maut. Suutuntuma on kepeähkö ja hiilihappoinen. En tiedä mitä tämän oluen kohdalla on tapahtunut, mutta kaikki ei voinut olla kohdallaan. Virhemaut tosin hieman lievenivät oluen saadessa happea, joten ei kuitenkaan tarvinnut viemäriin kaataa, vaikka aika lähellä kyllä olikin.

Hyvää oli, mukavat katkerot jäi kitusiin.

Greippiä, havua, sitrusta, viljaa ja ruohoa. Ohuehko, kuiva ja vähän mitäänsanomaton. Ei kovin onnistunut veto.

Let me end my Dry January with a 4.9 % Session IPA. There are several versions of this beer, this sample is hopped with Cascade, Cryo Cascade and Centennial. This hop cocktail promises good loads of citruses, I guess. Alright, the beer shows a relatively misty, light-amber face. Carbonation is obedient despite the fact that some froth wants to rush out of the can immediately after cracking it open. It behaves well thereafter anyway. A soapy, cream-white head spreads on the surface and reaches two fingers. The protracted retention keeps the frothy hat up while descending to a thinner lacing. A thick messy ring adorns the top then. The nose receives... well, not exactly the citrus powerplay that I anticipate but rather an interesting medley of malt with a biscuity hint and fruits. The latter includes obscure lemon pith but also a suggestion of green gooseberry and an astonishingly distinct floral scenery. Overall, quite restrained. Ok, the fragrance didn't impress me, how does the gustatory offer work? Let's see. Really soft. [Mmmmm.....] Malt, yes. A pinch of biscuit, why not also a hint of graham cracker. Citruses are definitely there but still a bit introvert in my opinion. I'm picking grapefruit peel and some lemon pith. It's simultaneously zesty and not. Hard to explain. I mean that there are zesty features there but the pithy and peely elements shadow the juicier parts. A bit of grass can also be noticed. Generally speaking, the beer is fine although it deviates from my expectations. It's not bad. It's just not remarkable either. Rather below the average. The body is light-medium. The finish boosts the citrusy parameters thicker, grass still prevails there, and now we have a tiny piney vibe also lingering in the background. How does the aftertaste move so fast in all that nylon, it's a 90's baby cartoon icon, it's an optical illusion. The mouthfeel is light-medium, which is clearly a positive change in my consciousness after the Dry January. The mouthfeel is additionally zesty, moderately crisp, still surprisingly soft albeit not velvety, as well as smooth. Balanced for sure. And gluggable. Intriguingly floral, as well. Unfortunately also rather characterless. It's very interesting to return to higher-ABV beers after one month of maximum 0.5 % drinks (I allowed myself 1.5 % but all the drinks I had were actually 0.0–0.5 %). This beer or version doesn't convince me much. If this was 0.0 %, it would earn 4.4 stars. If it was 0.5 %, I'd give it 4.2. Now that it clocks 4.9 %, my rating is 3.0. It gives you an idea how I rate beers: I don't compare styles but rather assess the beer on its own premises; I also take into account the ABV, the higher the ABV, the more I want from the beer. Many other aspects, such as barrel aging, what barrels have been used, adjuncts, age, etc., and of course my personal preferences count. Worth mentioning is the attractive label art that Tuju masters nicely. I'd also like to give credit to the brewery in that it gives only six months for this beer until expiry. This expires on 15 April, which may also have a role to play in the somewhat lackluster experience. The barcode seems to lead to the base version.

Todella hyvä versio tämäkin.

Pehmeän trooppinen, kuivahko. Mandariini päälimmäisenä. Kuivavahko jälkimaku. Tölkitetty 10/22. Maut yhä jäljellä. Jääkaapin nurkista.

Pehmeän trooppinen, kuivahko. Mandariini päälimmäisenä. Kuivavahko jälkimaku. Tölkitetty 10/22. 300km ajon jälkeen maistuu.