Belt’s Beer Garden: Shrine-ing Star

In the Shrine from Neüe Méthode is a MUST HAVE beer!!

Neüe Méthode Fermentation Project is the newest brainchild of Steven DiEva, who is the founder/brewing director at Foreign Objects, the founding culinary director at the Tired Hands, and the production director at Bald Birds Brewing…so, yeah; he knows how to make some damn good beer.

At the moment Neüe Méthode is brewed and packaged at Bald Bird’s facility in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania and very hard to find. On their website, they list six beers but all sold out and coming soon.

So when I was able to get my hands on a few cans of their In the Shrine which they call an “opaque, Modern IPA”, I did NOT want to miss out. In the Shrine was made with Centennial, Citra, and Strata hops with each pint boasting a 6.8% ABV. I was able to get a 16-ounce can for $7 but, if you’re in their local area, a four-pack runs just under $20.

In the Shrine poured as the can had said, opaque, but with a nice golden straw color. A little more than a finger of bright white head topped it off. As the foam disappeared it left a very nice coating of bubbles down the entirety of the glass, lacing it almost entirely.

The aroma was pure magic. It was one of the best smelling IPAs I’ve had this year and I really hoped that would carry over into the flavor. A massive blend of juicy fruits dominated the scent, with grapefruit, tangerine, and berries hitting the hardest. There were also some tropical fruits – like pineapple, guava, papaya, and just a hint of melon – that gave off sweeter notes.

As I sipped it for the first time, the beer started off with a creamy, slightly thicker body. Almost immediately there was a rush of fruit flavors across my taste buds. It was an amazing medley of berries, melon, citrus, and tropical fruit. Peach, papaya, honeydew, pineapple, tangerine, and strawberry all made appearances.

Around the midway point, some grapefruit and orange characteristics also appeared, bringing some light pithiness to the brew and just a touch of dryness. The dry feeling did linger for a few moments after everything had faded, holding a bit of the grapefruit rind and berry notes hostage with it.

However, there was almost no bitterness in this Modern IPA…almost like the Citra, Strata, and Centennial hops all got together and agreed to only give off sweet, delicious flavors with none of the harsher notes.

In the Shrine was pillowy soft and juicy and insanely crushable. I wanted to savor every sip and, yet, I wanted to go back for more immediately. It was a battle to not down this whole pint in mere moments.

All in all, this beer was absolutely fantastic. From the smell, to the taste, to how it finished…just an amazing IPA. This was an easy rating for me. It earns my tenth ever perfect score on Belt’s Beer Garden.