Danko by Exhibit 'A' Brewing Co. is being evaluated as a Hazy IPA (2021 BJCP Guidelines Style 21C).

The aroma of this beer is vibrant and contains notes of peach skin, ripe cantaloupe and creamsicle with undertones of pine resin. There is a unique malt character beneath the aroma that has notes of of caraway seed and bread crust. An aroma this decidedly complex is something that a discerning beer drinker looks for, especially within in a style like IPA where nuance can make the difference between good and outstanding. The appearance lives up to the style name featuring a dense, opaque haze within a deep blonde setting. The white head struggles to build and retain itself and has a cream-like consistency.  

Hop bitterness is front and center in this beer's flavor profile. With the hazy IPA style, the bitterness should play a supporting role to hop flavor but unfortunately here it is too pronounced. The hop bitterness is borderline harsh with slight hop-derived astringency. The flavor is somewhat akin to chewing on a hop pellet (which is not recommended). If the hop aromas were matched with their subsequent flavors this would be an extremely different beer. The hop flavor is simply lacking for this style. That may be due to unbalanced bitterness or an emphasis on hop aroma through dry-hopping alone.

Usually a beer's aroma will give you a sense of what is to come. Sometimes, it sets expectations that will not be met. This beer is an example of the latter: a wonderfully complex aroma without the necessary hop flavor. All in all, this is not a bad beer -- it is simply not a world-class example of this style that is entirely focused on hop expression. With some reformulation of recipe and process this beer could be taken to the next level.