SouthDown Mai Tai Double IPA by Wild Leap Brew Co. is being judged as a Specialty Fruit Beer (Category 29C) with a Double IPA (Category 22A) as the base beer. 

This beer pours a gold color with a hazy opaque clarity. A white head of tiny, fine bubbles is slightly fleeting but leaves a nice ring around the glass and a light dusting of bubbles on top. The aroma consists of a medium hop aroma of tropical fruit, tangerine and very low pine. There is a low sweet aspect in the aroma and a touch of low almond as the beer warms. On the initial sip there is a medium sweetness, which is quickly balanced out by a medium bitterness that carries over into the finish. There is a medium-low grassy “dry hop” character in the immediate flavor of this beer followed by a low minerality. A medium-low flavor of fresh orange and low lime peel flavor are also present.  There is a low lingering bitterness with the flavor of lime peel and a touch of ethyl alcohol flavor in the finish. 

This beer has a medium body with a medium-low carbonation. There is a slight creaminess to this beer with a low alcohol warmth. Overall, this beer is slightly one-dimensional compared to the description on the can. I wish the flavors were a little more complex and stood out individually instead of being muddled together; perhaps this beer fermenting out a little drier may add to those descriptive flavors coming out more. The dry hop character and perceived minerality, which stood out in this beer, made it not as enjoyable as it could have been. As a lover of Mai Tais, and proper Tiki cocktails in general, I wish this beer would have had a more defined flavor as well as the base beer being more true to style.