Molotov Lite
Molotov Lite - 8.5% ABV
Imperial IPA
Evil Twin Brewing
I'll start this off by saying that I did not realize this beer would be 8.5% when I bought it or even when I grabbed it out of my fridge tonight. I picked it up at a craft beer shop in Pelham, Alabama thinking, "It says Lite, I'm intrigued."
This beer pours a hazy, dark golden brown from a 16-oz can with cool, geometric art. There's not much head on the beer — just a thin rim of white around the top. Its smell is malty and sweet, pretty caramel-forward.
The first sip honestly made me think of a malty pale ale. The hoppiness was a smoother on the front end, with sweet middle tones and a crisp cleanup.
And since I'm still learning, I did some googling to see if I just let this beer sit around for too long, and therefore allowed it to lose its hoppiness. After some reading, I have come to the — perhaps incorrect — conclusion that the balance of the hops and malts in this beer are just tricking my brain into thinking there are fewer hops. Rather than in-your-face, all-pine bitterness that you'd get with, say, a Hopsecutioner, you get a really good balance of malt and hop that finishes with a lingering, subtle bitterness on your tongue.
The sweetness wraps up the hop flavors and delivers them on the end of the sip, on the back of your tongue, layering notes rather than overwhelming you one with bitterness or cloying sweetness.
I'll also add that I have no idea how the "lite" comes into play, as it's a far cry from flavorless light lagers, and I'd wager there is nothing low-calorie about this beer. But it's definitely a fun beer.
If you pick this up, I'd recommend grabbing one on a cooler night, and most likely a night where all you'll want is one beer. Just sit back and savor it.
Overall rating: 4/5