Beer – #991 – Garage Project – Cintamani
Garage Project Cintamani, and Friday I’m in love. With the idea that it’s a Friday evening of course, and for first course it’s a Garage Project Beer. With weirdness.
650ml bottle of a 5.8% ABV beer, making it about the 174 calories a serve, this would be 3 standard drinks in NZ.
Brewed by Garage Project in the style this is a India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are in Wellington, New Zealand
For Butter hand than Buddha hand
First up, and the most reserved of our curious offerings, is Cintāmaṇi, the alchemist’s stone of the east, an aromatic pale ale infused with Buddha’s Hand fruit.
If you’ve never seen a Buddha’s hand they look a little like a bizarre fingered lemon, with little or no flesh inside. What they lack in juice they more than make up for in aroma, so much so that they’re often used to fragrance temples.
In this beer the fruit lends a delightfully delicate fragrance, elevating citrus hop notes to create a crisp, light and deliciously drinkable beer.
So, What could possibly go wrong?
That’s a hop forward aroma on opening, green, lovely.
Surprisingly hazy light yellow pour when I was expecting darker.
Head sits there for a bit but doesn’t have the body about to last, but it looks lovely stark white on the top when it is there
A lovely grassy aroma in the glass with hints of greenery about it.
Taste is interesting, a ride of raw grass about it and also surprisingly dry finish.
Lemony too when it warms a bit.
It is a weird package of beer that made me smile and made the ills of the day fall away.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. This is a surprise package of a beer that is lighter in appearance, and tastier in delivery than it looks, and it looks lovely a hazy yellow cloudy thing. A beer to cheer the soul.
The double dip review
- Where did I get it? The Liquorland had them of course.
- Am I enjoying it? Yes
- Would I have another? Possibly yes. it’s tasty and refreshing and a little unusual.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I think yes, this is a beer that is not what it seems, hiding a lot of things that unfold dramatically and delightfully.
Music for this: ” The Grapefruit Skies by TEEKS ” on the Spotify
New Zealand Music that’s rather good
IMPERIAL/DOUBLE IPA
Imperial IPA, Double IPA or DIPA is a strong, often sweet, intensely hoppy version of the traditional India Pale Ale. Bitterness units range upward of 100 IBUs and alcohol begins at 7.5% but is more commonly in the 8.5-10% range. The flavour profile is intense all-round. Unlike barley wines, the balance is heavily towards the hops, with crystal and other malts providing support.
A life just as ordinary 