“Once upon a time a man walked into a bar where a friend of our’s was tending the taps. He tried to order an Eagle Claw Fist, but got it wrong and asked for an Evil Crawfish. When we heard the story, after much laughter, we knew one day we’d make the beer. Finally, here it is, built off of ECF, but cleaner, meaner, less bitter, and dry hopped with Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic.”
Served in an IPA glass. She pours an extremely attractive deep amber with brilliant clarity on show. A constant stream of micro bubble rises up to form the mountainous three finger head that gradually recedes and establishes a good 1cm cap that’s maintained well. A sheet of webbed lacing is strewn all the way down the glass. This looks sensational! A collective sigh of lust is exhaled as well take in the first whiff of this beer. Sweet, candied and caramelized malts battle it out with luscious tropical fruits for the attention of the olfactory’s. As we delve a little deeper we uncover a somewhat dank and resinous pine scent that is chiseled out by a subtle alcohol warmth. Maybe a hint of burnt toffee mixing with a bit of earth in here too. Simply superb. The mouth feel is chewy and all encompassing, really coating the whole palate as it grips the tongue on the swallow. The 9% ABV is actually well contained and the IBU is passive and quite palate friendly. Moderate Co2 and medium-full in body. The flavour profile kicks off with big caramelized malts that are laced with juicy pineapple, orange and rock melon. As this delicious fusion carries forward a mild alcohol warmth precludes a moderate bitterness which delivers a sweet yet grassy and slightly piney finish with generous length on the back end. Although as a whole it’s an excellent beer, the flavour just didn’t blow us away. Call us tough critics but the way it was shaping up before the first sip was an easy 10/10. By no means does this detract from the quality of this drop though. It’s a brilliant IPA, one we’d return to without a doubt.