Earlier this week, I headed to Meridian Pint to taste this year’s version of the Ocelot Brewing and Meridian Pint Collaboration, Talking Backwards. This year’s version is just as tasty as last and boasts the same 10.8% ABV.
To your author, this beer stacks up with the best west coast double (and triple) IPAs. The beer itself is delightfully dry without any of the heavy sweetness that can come with many double IPAs. The dryness comes from a simple grist of Maris Otter pale malt and pilsner malt. Maris Otter provides a slightly nutty and bready malt flavor. Let’s be clear, this is not a “malty” beer, but the 10.8% ABV is hidden beneath a solid base that allows the hops to shine.
On to the real show here: the hops. The combination of Simcoe and Citra in the boil and Mosaic in the dry hopping yields a grapefruit and orange rind aroma that you can almost see emanating from the glass. There is just a hint of sweet berry and tangerine lingering on the palate. The beer isn’t bone dry (nor should it be), but you can tell that the brewer, Mike McCarthy, spent a great deal of time and effort on the fermentation profile.
If you want to read up on the some of the gory details of the beer, I’ll direct you to our pal Phil Runco’s article on its creation of the beer.
Like many Ocelot beers, this one is limited – though unlike most of their offerings, this one has been brewed for a second year in a row. I’m certainly hoping it’ll be brewed a third.
