Surfin’ Buddha comes to us in a can from Starpoint Brewery, which has locations in Carrboro and Durham. The Durham space is a seven-barrel brewery shared with the Beer Study Durham bottle shop. The original Carrboro location is a two-barrel brewery. This beer was brewed and canned at the new facility in Durham and is a sample from their first canning run of beers.
This West Coast IPA is unlike the recently reviewed New England IPA. West Coast IPAs are dry, bitter, light gold in color and finish with a bitter note in your mouth. Their flavors are orange pith, orange zest, pine needles and grapefruit. Interestingly, its flavors are the bitter versions of the same flavors that give a New England IPA its juicy taste.
When poured in a glass, Surfin’ Buddha presents as a deep gold color with about a half finger of head that sticks around about a minute or so and will return when roused. The beer starts off with a slight haze that fades as it warms. This “chill haze” is from the dry hopping and results when a beer is not filtered.
Surfin’ Buddha is a medium-body beer with a dry, bitter finish that is crisp and invites another sip. The carbonation is medium-low. Its flavors are reminiscent of orange, sage and crisp Granny Smith skin (from the tannins). You will get a background note of honey from the malt used to brew the beer, but the forefront flavors are from the Simcoe, Centennial and Citra hops used in the brewing process. There is also low astringency to the beer from the dry hopping. There is no noticeable character from the yeast in this beer.
Until next time, chill with this chill haze.
