Mar 4, 2019

Surly One Man Mosh Pit

It’s no secret that I’m not a huge fan of fruit juicy IPAs. I do like a good example of the style that may be fruit forward to a degree, but when it tastes like my kid’s juice in the fridge, I tend to find fault with the beer. Surly Brewing expertly walk that tight rope between too much and just the right amount of juiciness with One Man Mosh Pit.

This 7.2% ABV brew is dry-hopped with a ridiculous amount of Citra, Amarillo and Mosaic hop varieties to create a swirling array of luscious mango, grapefruit, nectarine and orange notes. But the brewery also did well to not let those fruit flavors dominate the palate as a good bit of pine and leafy hop notes are also in play, tossing elbows in the crowd with the rest of the crew. One Man Mosh Pit is certainly not a balanced IPA in that regard, especially with its lack of any real hop bitterness.

Thankfully, that lack of bite isn’t too much of a problem as the IPA doesn’t present too much of a sweetness to go along with the fruit flavors. If it weren’t for the higher level of alcohol, this one would be down right chuggable as a result of that gentler bitterness.

While, One Man Mosh Pit isn’t really my cup of tea IPA, I can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship it takes to pull out — from a vine’s flower nonetheless — the flavors that are present as the beer glides easily. And for that I applaud Surly and happily jump right back in the pit for another whirl, nose bloodied and head spinning.

This is a review of a promotional sample.