Elysian Brewing Space Dust IPA
What the brewers say
“The hopping is pure starglow energy, with Chinook to bitter and late and dry additions of Citra and Amarillo.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Moderately sweet with a slight phenolic. Peach, mango. Not intensely hoppy. Some malt sweetness. Some orange, pine, and lemon.”
Flavor: “Sweet up front and strongly bitter on the finish. The phenolic shows up on the palate as well. Hops evoke peach, orange, and mango. Slight slickness on the tongue indicating possible diactyl. The bitterness fights against the sweetness in this flavor a bit. Finishes with some warmth. Very mild hops avor compared to most the others. Some grassiness and a bit of floral. Lots of pithy bitterness and little of that malt complexity from the nose.”
Overall: “Slightly disjointed with a few missteps that detract from overall impression. Hops character is pleasant, but is overshadowed by the phenolic. The beer has some good flavors at its core—the malt character has some nice sweetness, and the hops have some good juice and bitterness. But the sum of the whole here is not greater than the parts.”
