This week gets a double dose of Tasting Notes as we get into a celebratory bottle of Radegast Triple IPA from New Realm Brewing Company (Atlanta, Georgia).

Arriving as New Realm’s first packaged Specialty Release offering, Radegast – named for the ancient god of brewing and hospitality – was specifically brewed to honor the grand opening of their beautiful new facility on Atlanta’s Beltline and serve as a proper introduction to the area’s craft beer community.  With a hop bill showcasing Warrior, Citra, Mosaic and El Dorado hops, this Triple IPA promises to be a “wonderfully aromatic, . . . incredibly citrusy and extremely juicy hop nectar [that] lingers just long enough to tempt another sip.”

Radegast Triple IPA officially released at New Realm Brewing Company on Saturday, January 13 with availability in 750ml bottles and 4-packs of 16 oz. cans, and it appears – at the time this post was published – a limited supply is still available for purchase at the brewery.  Radegast is also available on draft at New Realm and select craft beer establishments located throughout Atlanta.  This is a one-time release that is meant to be consumed fresh, so be sure to get your fill of Radegast while you still have the chance.

Speaking of getting one’s fill, I do believe it is time to get into some Tasting Notes so that we can finally experience the Radegast for ourselves.

Tasting Notes for Radegast Triple IPA from New Realm Brewing Company

Appearance:  Radegast fills the glass with a deep, honey gold-colored brew that is wearing two fingers of pristine white foam.  When held to direct light, the color brightens and intensifies to become more of a pure yellow gold.  The body is perfectly clear and displays an ample carbonation presence coursing throughout.  Head retention is good, but it eventually fall to a lasting 1/4 finger or so. The foam does attempt to put some lace on the glass, but the slick nature of the beer forces each web to eventually slip back down into the top cap.

Aroma:  An unabashed and pronounced hop aroma proudly billows from the glass.  We are talking about notes of citrus & tropical fruits; mostly grapefruit, tangerine, melon and a touch of stone fruit.  A light malt character brings up the back end with a nondescript sweetness and subtle hint of alcohol.  The nose is basically all hops, and we have no problem with that.

Taste:  That big hop presence carries over into the flavor and it is absolutely laden with orange, tangerine, and grapefruit.  A slight resinous character builds with tones of pine, grass, and pure dankness.  A tropical wave then moves in with a slight dose of passionfruit, berry and papaya.  As the hop profile closes with an interesting pop of peach candies, the malts then interject with a slight thread of balancing sweetness that is just enough to keep the bitterness/hoppiness from completely overwhelming the experience.  Damn, this is good.

Mouthfeel:  This Triple IPA falls on the heavier side of medium in body and has a bright carbonation level that keeps it surprisingly refreshing and easy drinking.  Hoppy bitterness gets unlimited access to the palate, but there is just enough malt backbone to clean up the finish.  For 11.5% ABV, the alcohol is incredibly well hidden and only surfaces with a tinge of heat from time to time.  The aftertaste is an abundance of tropical and citrus fruits.

Final Thoughts:  From top to bottom . . . aroma to flavor . . . look to mouthfeel, Radegast can easily be summed up with one word: “masterful”.  Now that is not a word that we like to throw around, but it absolutely applies here.  For a Triple IPA, this beer has more than enough hop bite to make you feel alive while a ridiculously juicy hop flavor has just as much opportunity to please the taste buds.  Seriously, you will be hard-pressed to find a rival for this hop experience. With that said, the impressive nature of this beer does not stop there.  The aroma is lovely and clean, the massive ABV is muted, the feel is gorgeous, and this enormous IPA somehow remains refreshing.  A lot of the Triple IPAs out there can make a case for themselves having one or maybe two of these attributes, but Radegast can claim them all.  That’s special.  That’s masterful, and that fact makes Radegast the perfect beer for New Realm to send out first to confidently announce, “This is just the beginning.”  Prost!