Furry beast

Sometimes a beer name just speaks to me. Trial By Wombat was one such, though it helped that it has also been garnering favourable notices. I had no qualms about plucking it from the offy fridge and giving it a blog post of its own. The brewery is Thin Man, based in Buffalo, and it's the first of their beers I've tried.

The vital statistics are that it's an IPA of 7% ABV and hopped with Galaxy. What the can doesn't tell us is that it's a hazy affair, and very New-Englandy with its fluffy mouthfeel. From that follows overtones of garlic and gritty dregs: very typical missteps in beers like this. Galaxy is a hop I associate with juicy orange and tangerine notes but you have to work to find them here. A mild juiciness lurks late in the flavour, along with a slightly harsh and waxy green bitterness.

This didn't quite do it for me. I was expecting bright and fresh — dammit, I was paying for bright and fresh — but what I got was rather dull and a lot more serious than the jokey name implied. Never trust a wombat, or a thin man.