“Balmy,” yellow-cleared, double dry-hopped pale ale retains balance and  roundedness as tangy grapefruit, orange, pineapple, mango and tangerine tropicalia receives mustily reedy dewiness and raw grained minerality (reminiscent of an Extra Special Bitter) above sweet crystal malting. Never overwhelming bitter. On tap at Triton – Long Beach Island, vibrant grapefruit-peeled orange zest and sweet pineapple juicing zinged lightly pined juniper hop bittering with uncompromising sturdiness.

On tap at Ambulance, bright yellow grapefruit tang and brisk pineapple-orange follow-up deepened by resilient citric-pined Cascade hop astringency. Juicy lemon nuances, polite floral wisps and key lime pie illusions come and go. In bottled version, lingering lemon seed bitterness contrasts sweet orange-peeled grapefruit and pineapple tang while mild alcohol astringency stays distant.   

Neither as distinct nor efficient enough to prove stylishly fulfilling. Wavered honey malt sugaring lacks overall opulence to enrich cereal-grained citric spicing and cherry herring scotch liquoring.

Quirky adjunct pale ale lets honey-soured citrus resonance soften mild wasabi herbage and ancillary horseradish heat.  For counterbalance, creamy caramel malts and red rice milking sweeten subtle resinous hop spicing as well as distant dank dewy mildewing. Another interestingly offbeat concoction from one of the most ambitiously experimental brewers on earth.

Beautiful floral fruited display brings enormous Citra-hopped IPA-like zest to mild resinous pine bittering, contrasting wheat-honeyed caramel malting. Spruce-tipped ruby red grapefruit, orange rind and pineapple tartness heightens musky hop-oiled bitterness while juicy tangerine, clementine, peach, melon, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, passionfruit and guava illusions sweeten the rounded finish. An elegant world class moderate-to-medium body.

Simpler one hop (Mosaic)/ one malt (pale) profile differs drastically from 2XIPA’s multiple hop-malt billing, but dynamic complexity never wavers for lively 2014 winter seasonal ‘strong pale ale.’ A painterly panache of sunny yellow-orange fruiting assumes parity with floral hop spicing and sharp wood-dried herbage. Mighty yellow grapefruit-peeled bittering contrasts tropical pineapple-juiced mango, guava and papaya tang as well as candi-sugared tangerine, peach, nectarine and melon notions. Mint-fresh black peppering contrasts nutty caramel sweetness underneath.