450 North Brewing Company Dank Candy - Rainbow Drops Double/Imperial IPA (8.0% ABV)
Pour: Pint can into a tulip glass
Appearance: Pours a cloudy medium gold with about an inch of persistent off-white head. Lots of edging, good lacing.
Aroma: A lot of citrus in the nose – grapefruit and orange zest mostly, followed by some floral notes. Maybe a little something piney underneath
Taste: Dank. Much danker that the Gummy Haze. Sticky, bitter floral notes up front, citrus notes in the middle. Bitter floral/pine finish with a nice bitter aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, but heavy for an IPA. Very smooth, with an oily finish that definitely coats the teeth.
Rainbow Drops is the third beer overall that I’ve sampled from Columbus, Indiana’s 450 North Brewing Company, and the second variant of the Dank Candy series. Readers with longer memories (and who drink less than me) may recall that waaaay back in April I wrote about Dank Candy - Gummy Haze. Those with even better memories will recall that I was pretty impressed with it. The same goes for their Scarecrow IPA that I wrote about last month. So does 450 North go 3-for-3 with Rainbow Drops?
Yes. In fact, this one is the best of the bunch so far. If I have one (minor) complaint with Gummy Haze it’s that it wasn’t a particularly dank DIPA - and when you call a series Dank Candy, you kind of raise certain expectations in the drinker’s mind. Rainbow Drops, though, definitely delivers on the promise of dankness. Wonderfully sticky with huge floral and citrus notes throughout its flavor profile, Rainbow Drops is one beautiful fucking beer. And while Gummy Haze was something of a shock to the palate at first, this one is very smooth and drinkable right from the first sip, with just enough bitterness in the finish/aftertaste to remind you that you’re drinking a DIPA. If you happen to see this one on the shelf at your local, I highly recommend picking it up.
And it just so happens that I have a 4-pack of Dank Candy - Sticky Bubblegum waiting for me at home in the ‘fridge for after I get this column filed. Based on how much I’ve enjoyed the first two Dank Candy beers I’ve had, I’m seriously looking forward to giving that one a try as well.
