#379: In the Headlights

Hopfully don't feature regularly enough on this blog, but towards the end of last year and the beginning of this one my craving for modern IPAs brought me regularly to their door. 

Headlights drew me in with its listing of Citra and Nelson Sauvin, both of them worthy of being a headliner on their own, and my first impression is that it's beautiful. Pale and opaque, there's an initial ooze of sweet juice - pineapple, melon and grape combining for a convincingly tropical effect. The palate is fairly sweet, though to be fair the beer is three months old at this stage. In any case it's moreish and delicious, with ripe orange, honeydew melon and some slightly sticky mango syrupy stuff. There's every chance that the bit of age has dulled some of the nuance of the hops in question, especially the somewhat delicate Nelson Sauvin, but I found plenty here to enjoy regardless

As I did in Closet, a DIPA of 7.6%. At only 1.3% stronger than the Headlights, it doesn't quite do enough to make it feel much different. Again it's pale and hazy, again it's sweet and tropical, again we have citrus and pineapple and melon. This time though, sweetness is very much the only thing on show. It's not unpleasant, and I can tolerate this more than a savoury yeast stink or acidic hop burn, but I don't think we're getting the full value of the strength on show. 

For the money and the alcohol involved, Headlights is probably the better bet for bang for your buck, by my barometer. It has all the saisfying mouthfeel you would have wanted from a strong IPA and offers more expressive hop fun.