Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL
Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #276) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled 12.27.2013)
Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 9.0%
Reported IBUs: ?
It's an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™...and I'm drinking a beer that I probably camped on for a little too long. But what can you do. This one instantly reminds me of the Founders' Mango Magnifico, so let's see how she stacks up. About Pipeworks:
"It's a bird! It's a plane! No, It's the One Horned Wonder and His Fanciful Flying Fresno!!! This dynamic duo is taking off with Citra and Galaxy hops. But wait, this flight's just getting started. The pilots at The Aviary have turned off the fasten seat belt sign. This in-flight pale ale features a passion fruit puree and a hint of Fresno chile to bump it up to first class. Please, sit back and enjoy the flight."
Wow...this beer pours out with some thick viscosity, and it pours into a golden-yellow-orange body that is hazy as hell. The beer kicks up a several fingers of orange-tinged head, and head retention is really good. In bright light this beer is a super hazy orange color, with tons of streams of tiny, effervescent carbonation rising upwards. It looks like unfiltered juice. A pinky of head has settled in and there is plenty of lacing.
Aroma: When I popped this open I was blasted with tons of resinous citrus and pineapple hops. This beer has GIANT hops on the nose. And then you stick your nose into the beer, and it's like, "oh, hello, Fresno chili peppers." The aroma is a mixture of giant hops and giant chili aromas. The Fresno chili peppers impart some serious salt aromas, jalapeno, ballpark nachos, green and red pepper, and earthy peppery goodness. The hops on the nose here are tropical and citrus, with giant orange, tangerine, resin, pineapple, grass, and some mango. Good times...
Despite the towering 9% ABV, this tastes a lot like the promised Pale Ale mixed with passion fruit and chili pepper. The chili pepper is also surprisingly balanced and not overly spicy. It's more of an earthy, green pepper type of flavor. I'm getting a lot of pepper mixed with passion fruit, orange, tangerine, and tropical fruits. There's green pepper, jalapeno, and earthy pepper goodness. The hops are absolutely banging in this...juicy and dank orange, pineapple, passion fruit, and yeah. Just lovely.
How is this 9%? This really drinks like a Pale Ale, and yeah. I'm amazed at how refreshing this beer is, with a medium-light mouthfeel and tons of carbonation. The hop profile is super juicy, and the pepper character is more of an earthy addition rather than a full-on spice assault. Up front: a big assault of juicy hops, citrus, mango, passion fruit, tangerine, and big green pepper, Fresno pepper, and not-spicy jalapeno; mid-palate continues with the hop juicy goodness as the pepper fades into some earthy green pepper on the finish; the back end is lingering green pepper and Fresno pepper, some hop bitterness, and dry. This has a dry, peppery finish.
Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)
I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this...I kind of want to buy another bottle because I am crushing the bottle that I have right here. This is just a fantastic marriage of nuanced pepper with giant hop goodness. Do you like hops? Do you like chili peppers? Okay, buy this beer. Food pairings: Mexican food, specifically tamales, quesadillas, pork tacos, BBQ pork, maybe some dry chicken wings? This beer has fantastic food potential, but it's also pretty fucking delicious in general. Recommended.
Random Thought: FULL DISCLAIMER: I love spicy foods and I love hot peppers. I'm the kind of weirdo that will eat a whole pepper plain. You've been warned.
Reported IBUs: ?
It's an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™...and I'm drinking a beer that I probably camped on for a little too long. But what can you do. This one instantly reminds me of the Founders' Mango Magnifico, so let's see how she stacks up. About Pipeworks:
Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.
Tonight's beer is a "big ole pale ale with Fresno Chiles and passion fruit added." This one was brewed in conjunction with The Aviary, and punches in at a big 9%. The back of the bottle reads:
"It's a bird! It's a plane! No, It's the One Horned Wonder and His Fanciful Flying Fresno!!! This dynamic duo is taking off with Citra and Galaxy hops. But wait, this flight's just getting started. The pilots at The Aviary have turned off the fasten seat belt sign. This in-flight pale ale features a passion fruit puree and a hint of Fresno chile to bump it up to first class. Please, sit back and enjoy the flight."
 |
| The One Horned Wonder and His Fanciful Flying Fresno |
Aroma: When I popped this open I was blasted with tons of resinous citrus and pineapple hops. This beer has GIANT hops on the nose. And then you stick your nose into the beer, and it's like, "oh, hello, Fresno chili peppers." The aroma is a mixture of giant hops and giant chili aromas. The Fresno chili peppers impart some serious salt aromas, jalapeno, ballpark nachos, green and red pepper, and earthy peppery goodness. The hops on the nose here are tropical and citrus, with giant orange, tangerine, resin, pineapple, grass, and some mango. Good times...
Despite the towering 9% ABV, this tastes a lot like the promised Pale Ale mixed with passion fruit and chili pepper. The chili pepper is also surprisingly balanced and not overly spicy. It's more of an earthy, green pepper type of flavor. I'm getting a lot of pepper mixed with passion fruit, orange, tangerine, and tropical fruits. There's green pepper, jalapeno, and earthy pepper goodness. The hops are absolutely banging in this...juicy and dank orange, pineapple, passion fruit, and yeah. Just lovely.
How is this 9%? This really drinks like a Pale Ale, and yeah. I'm amazed at how refreshing this beer is, with a medium-light mouthfeel and tons of carbonation. The hop profile is super juicy, and the pepper character is more of an earthy addition rather than a full-on spice assault. Up front: a big assault of juicy hops, citrus, mango, passion fruit, tangerine, and big green pepper, Fresno pepper, and not-spicy jalapeno; mid-palate continues with the hop juicy goodness as the pepper fades into some earthy green pepper on the finish; the back end is lingering green pepper and Fresno pepper, some hop bitterness, and dry. This has a dry, peppery finish.
I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this...I kind of want to buy another bottle because I am crushing the bottle that I have right here. This is just a fantastic marriage of nuanced pepper with giant hop goodness. Do you like hops? Do you like chili peppers? Okay, buy this beer. Food pairings: Mexican food, specifically tamales, quesadillas, pork tacos, BBQ pork, maybe some dry chicken wings? This beer has fantastic food potential, but it's also pretty fucking delicious in general. Recommended.
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