Sweetwater Brewing The Price is Wrong
The guys behind Sweetwater Brewing’s Dank Tank series must be really big fans of Bob Barker or Adam Sandler as the story behind their latest offering, The Price Is Wrong, pays loving (if not bizarre) tribute to the following scene from Happy Gilmore.
Actually, I just wanted an excuse to throw that clip up on the site. It gets me every time.
Anyways, the beer. The Price Is Wrong is a big beer (9% ABV) that could either be classified as a Belgian Strong Pale Ale or a Belgian IPA. It brings a great Belgian yeast character to the table and then jacks it up with a potent combination of Nugget, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo hop varieties, resulting in a mouth puckering 79 IBUs. Big fruity, piney hop flavors coexist nicely with a boozy alcohol presence and yeasty character that is down right delectable, no matter how wrong the brewery thinks the price may be.
Appearance
The Price Is Wrong pours a clear, golden amber in color with a cap of off-white foam that fell slowly to a patchy surface cover.
Aroma
You can smell the citrusy hop goodness wafting from the surface of the glass from a mile away. Grapefruit, orange and a hint of pineapple mingle comfortably with a solid amount of resinous pine, light caramel and malt backbone. The yeast is also in the mix a bit, but takes a back seat to the hop profile.
Taste
Resiny pine dominates the flavor as citrus (grapefruit, orange) notes support from the background. A soft Belgian yeast character takes a bit of a back seat as the fairly strong bitterness rises and falls smoothly, lingering wonderfully in an appropriately glowing warmth for the style. A light malt sweetness attempts to tame the hop bit as best it can in the satisfying finish. Very tasty.
Overall
Sweetwater Brewing know how to do hops and The Price Is Wrong is just another shining example of what the crew do best. I think I’d prefer a bit more of the Belgian character to come through a bit, but I was still perfectly happy with the herbal, citrusy hop profile that this beer brings to the palate. The Dank Tank series strikes again with another full flavored brew.
Rating: 4/5
This is a review of a promotional sample from the brewery.
