Review by: Cory Smith
A couple of weeks ago, Richard Hartogs of Better Beer Authority invited us to do a live blind beer tasting with two other reviewers and himself. First, I need to thank Richard for inviting us on the show, and secondly for sending us both beer to try, we’re big fans. If you missed that video, you can watch it below.
When Richard sent us Salty Scot, he also sent us a couple of cans of Three Brother’s Drift. Drift is a Session IPA that is 5% ABV and “Citra Based” which means Cory likey! I read recently someone going on a rant that session IPA’s are nothing more than Pale Ales with some extra hops, but I beg to differ. The mouthfeel, the ABV, and the drinkability are so distinct in session ales that I think they need their own guidelines. I’m excited to see what 3 Brother’s has in store for us, so I’m going to dump Drift into a glass and dive in.
Appearance:
If you gave me Drift without a label, I would never have guessed that it was a sessionable ale. It’s semi-cloudy, and almost the exact color of golden oak wood stain. It’s not dark, but a copperish amber color. Lacing is seemingly non-existant, but it did pour with a one finger head. Strangely, it almost looks flat, I can’t even see carbonation trying to release itself from the beer.
Aroma:
Man! This makes me want to be outdoors on a river. Floating through the trees, catching a trout, and drinking Drift. It has a big, aromatic pine smell, but also has grapefruit and lemongrass mixed in-between. It kind of smells like freshly cut grass, and it does have a slight dank quality to it, as well. There’s not too much to Drift in terms of malt aroma, but just a slight crackery backnote.
Mouthfeel:
I am not surprised at all by the mouthfeel of Drift. It didn’t look like it had a lot of CO2, and it doesn’t. It looked slightly thicker than other watery session ales, and it is. That being said, it’s still on the thin side of the spectrum, allowing for an easy drinking experience and big gulps.
Taste:
This beer is almost all back of the mouth hop flavors. Pine, and grass, and floral flavors crash into the back of my tastebuds leaving a moderately bitter hop taste. Drift has a little bit more of the tangerine and mango flavors than other session IPA’s I’ve had, but those flavors aren’t as pronounced as they are in non-session IPA’s. Then again, as seemingly all of these session IPA’s do, Drift’s bitterness drifts away to just a light lingering afterthought. It’s clean, but it does have an aftertaste of resinous hops. The aftertaste almost, I repeat almost, reminds me of an over-steeped mint tea. Malt is basically a non-factor here, it’s more or less just a saltine cracker, a blank vehicle in which to present the flavor of the hops. This is one of the first Session IPA’s I’ve had that actually requires some digging to get all of the flavor profiles out of it, and I appreciate the complexity that 3 Brothers built into Drift.
Conclusion:
I have to thank Richard, again, for sending us these beers to try. I have been on a mission to find the best session IPA, or just session ale around, and this was a contender. I feel like I have to say this a lot when it comes to session ales, but I never quite know how to score them. I want to be harsh because it didn’t live up to regular IPAs, but I also want to congratulate 3 Brothers on achieving the profile they wanted. With that thought in mind, I try to grade sessions differently than regular ales, and go by intention rather than BJCP perfection. I’m going to give Drift a 93. I really enjoy the flavors that were put into this beer, and appreciate that 3 Brothers made a complex session ale. I also like that the first sip took me to a different world; it made me feel that I was in Montana on a canoe fishing the rivers. That’s a powerful beer. The only thing I knock it for is that I don’t love the aftertaste, and I wish it had a slightly better mouthfeel. Otherwise, Drift is a great beer for the next time you want big flavor, but high drinkability.
– Cheers!
Written By
