The Brewing Project: Raven (Thailand: IPA: 6% ABV)
Visual: Just lightly hazy lemon juice color body, with a tinge of apricot at the center. Large yellowed white head.
Nose: Fluffy hop character, hop oils and medium bitterness. Lemon juice. Pineapple. Apricot skin.
Body: Bitter, light chalk touch, light character and dry back. Just slightly thin. Slight yeast funk. Cheese puff crisps. Apricot skin. Grapefruit. Slight mango and floral.
Finish: Fluffy hop bitterness. Pineapple. Cheese puff crisps. Light chalk. Grapefruit. Apricot skin.
Conclusion: This initially seemed kind of west coast dry for an IPA, but also unfortunately just slightly thin in a mildly watery way which definitely hurt the vibe.
Thankfully that lessens over time, as it warms it doesn’t become spot on but definitely the texture improves somewhat, so I was able to enjoy enough to look deeper.
It is solidly if not exceptionally bitter, with solid if not exceptional fruit notes. Slightly dry in how it expresses the fruit, especially the mango, but generally a mix of lightly tart notes there.
It kind of feels like the base line of the minimum a good IPA should be. It is not hazy for one so it clears that hurdle easily. Yes I will keep reminding people of my general dislike for the prevalence of the hazy IPA style. I’m glad that it is a solidly bitter IPA but apart from that it is workman like and slightly leaden in the hops in the finish over time.
It’s … fine, but doesn’t stand out in any way apart from not being a hazy in an oversaturated hazy market.
Conclusion: While exploring Chang Mai I came across The Mind Cafe, another place I had heard had a good reputation for beers, and yep, once again a lovely selection – nice comfy seats and some decent metal tunes. I saw they had some Brewing Project Beers and decided to do notes as my last attempt to do notes on one of their beers was blocked by the bar running out. Raven was one of the highest rated Thailand beers on ratebeer, and not a hazy IPA, so I decided to grab that and use it for my tastings. My photo is a tad under lit, apologies for that.
