As the months go by, it always seems like it is only a matter of time before I write about something new from Dogfish Head Brewery. This happens because Dogfish Head always seems to catch my eye and pique my curiosity when it comes to their latest releases. Last year around this time, I reviewed their Beer for Breakfast, a stout brewed with a strange pork meat loaf that is a Delaware delicacy. I may not have been crazy about that beer but I loved what they tried to accomplish with it. Over the summer, I reviewed Lupu-Luau, a refreshing coconut IPA that I really enjoyed. To shorten up this intro I will just say that I have an endless amount of respect for Dogfish Head Brewing's creativity. Even if I do not like something from them, I am usually glad I gave it a try. Being endlessly creative with beer is a fantastic thing and I am happy to continue supporting this by buying their products. Recently, I gave their brand new Liquid Truth Serum IPA a shot and while I may not have been crazy about it, I am glad a gave it a try because it certainly was a unique experience.
My thoughts on drinking Liquid Truth Serum can be broken down into three parts:
Part 1: This is Tremendous!
From the moment I got my first whiff of the aroma, I thought I was going to love this beer. The aroma was juicy with big tropical and citrus notes. Lots of grapefruit, pineapple, and mango stood out beautifully with a touch of sticky pine, grass, some nice floral notes and just the right amount of biscuit malt. As I took my first sip, I fell instantly in love with it. Tons of mango, pineapple and grapefruit greeted me with notes of grass, orange peel, melon before a dry, piney, herbal finish. My only early critique was Liquid Truth Serum was touch watery. It made Liquid Truth Serum seem more like it would have fit in better as a summer release that a fall/winter one. I thought this would be my main criticism for this week until...
Part 2: Something isn't Quite Right Here
Initially I was blown away by the big tropical notes of pineapple and mango but as I moved further into the glass those flavors moved into the background. Grapefruit and lemon began to come out a bit more and instead of complimenting those flavors, they seemed to be at war with them. The bitterness which Dogfish Head claims is dialed back with this particular beer continued to grow. On top of that, the finish started becoming increasingly peppery which did not totally work here either. Basically, those big, beautiful flavors in the beginning have faded and what is left is a muddled, mediocre beer from a fantastic brewery.
Part 3: What the Hell Happened?
The final third of the beer was disgusting. I wish I could put it nicer than that but I really need to drive home what a mess this turned into. There was a massive vegetal note that rose to the surface, along with a lot more bitterness. By the end of the glass, my initial positive thoughts were nothing more than a distant memory. Normally, I would have chugged it and moved on but I continued to sip it in hopes of the beer I described in Part 1 would return. It never did.
The truth is Liquid Truth Serum is a surprisingly bad IPA from a brewery that honestly helped myself, as well as many others, fall in love with IPAs in the first place. Supposedly brewed to reduce bitterness, Liquid Truth fails at accomplishing what appeared to be its main goal. I have no problem with a bitter IPA at all, but the growing bitterness here played a large role Liquid Truth Serum falling apart. I would definitely revisit this beer in the future in hopes that future batches correct these glaring flaws but for right now, I would advise you to stay away from this beer.
Overall rating: 1.75/5
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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!
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