SpindleTap’s 2 year anniversary just passed, and they decided to do more Derrickman Dubbel (their 1 year anniversary beer), but the stars of the show for Houston’s hop heads were clearly their IPAs. 5% Tint didn’t get as much love as Juiceton, and Houston Haze has become an oldie but goodie that’s not shouted about as much, but that’s not reflective of the quality of the beer. They were all solid, but SpindleTap 5 Percent Tint was a show stopper for me.
Our cans were so fresh that they didn’t even have stickers on them! Being a design nerd, I was a little disappointed, but I got over it quickly. Those that we’re lucky enough to get cans with labels would see a black label with white text that says Five Percent Tint, where the dots on the % are hops. Super basic art for a super simple beer.
Like I said my disappointment subsided after the first pour. SpindleTap Five Percent Tint pours a glowing, hazy, bright yellow. It looks almost like canned pineapple juice. There’s a big, foamy white head that laces down like curtains, tinting the glass to a near 5%. It’s a beautiful beer.
SpindleTap Five Percent Tint smells like flowers and fruit, jasmine and pineapples more specifically. It’s light in aroma just as it is in ABV.
It’s super clean and bright with each sip. The light, crisp, fruitiness shines through and finishes with pineapples and a light bitterness that lingers along with a super subtle hop burn that may have died out by now. Mind you, this review was written day 1 after canning despite me taking a few days to post. I always drink faster than I can post.
One of the most impressive aspects ofSpindleTap Five Percent Tint is that it’s still creamy and pillowy on the mouthfeel. That’s tougher with a 5% ABV beer. I honestly expected this to be their first big L – 16 oz cans of hop tea – but it’s not that, and I’m always happy to be wrong when it comes to skepticism like that. Shoulda known better, I guess.
I just can’t help myself… SpindleTap’s brewmaster Sean Ebersole mentioned “Chicken Soup IPA’s” at the very top of his list of beer pet peeves when we first interviewed him, Garrison and Leo. I haven’t spoken with him about it since then, but he’s gotta be a convert by now??!
SpindleTap Five Percent Tint is probably more of a Pale Ale than an IPA, but comparing it doesn’t get any easier. The low ABV and lighter body make for a tough comparison, but flavor wise it reminds me a bit of Bissell Brothers Engma, and locally, it reminds me a bit of Houston Haze, as there’s a lot of pineapple flavor there too.
I know I probably won’t get many folks co-signing, but I think this is one of the best things to come outta SpindleTap. Houston Haze has remained one of my favs all time, and OJD made me question my life decisions. There’s a strange phenomenon when you call something a 5 Star beer, and then you have something even better. SpindleTap 5% Tint does that for me yet again.
My Overall Rating
4.5
SpindleTap 5 Percent Tint
You ridin behind tint, or you busting out windows like a jealous ex? Maybe you’re an old head like Sean (was) and you think hazy beers are trash, and we should all be riding glass house? SpindleTap 5 Percent Tint was fire in my book. I love hops. I love refreshing. And I love sessionable because I don’t wanna ever be the jerk at the bar that’s faded, talking all crazy to everybody he halfway knows. Nobody in town has made an attempt at a sessionable version of these NEIPA’s, so the competition’s not really there, but they definitely set the bar high for whoever’s next up. So, who’s it gonna be?
Let us know who you think’s the next to attempt a session NEIPA in the comments below, or tell us how you enjoyed SpindleTap 5 Percent Tint by voting below with a single click on the stars! Beers to you, Houston!
Anthony's a Houston native, a Creative Strategist at https://ledgeloungers.com/, an adjunct instructor of Visual Communication at Lone Star College, and a UH Coog that loves good beer almost as much as he does his city. Anthony lives to help others and that's found a home helping some of the coolest breweries on earth with creative and marketing projects that can be seen on our Portfolio page. Fueled by hoppy lagers, sessionable IPAs, and gangster rap, he's ticked his way through H-Town, rocking the most unusual Nikes he can find. When he's not writing for us, he's with his family or very patiently rooting for the Rockets.
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