Beer of the Weekend #947: Neon

It is a cold and snowy night—perfect for writing a post about the beer of the weekend: Neon, brewed by Barn Town Brewing of West Des Moines, Iowa.



Serving type: Sixteen-ounce can. “CANNED JAN1921” is printed on the bottom, which means it was canned three days before I bought it. It’s probably the freshest pack of canned beer I’ve ever bought.

Appearance: The color is reminiscent of an Orange Julius, though lighter. The color is milky, cloudy pineapple banana. About a finger of white bubbly head leaves a skim and collar.

Smell: Super fruity! It smells amazing! Grapefruit is most prominent, but scents of orange, pineapple, and mango are also present. There is a hint of ripe banana, too. It is very inviting; I can’t wait to taste it. It also has that hazy IPA yeast smell; I’m unsure exactly what it is.

Taste: The first sip is more bitter than fruity, which is disappointing, but the fruit emerges on subsequent sips. It’s earthier than the aroma leads one to believe. Grapefruit, pineapple, mango, and another sharper tropical flavor that I can’t pin down. I’ve read that citra hops offer notes of guava and lychee, both of which I am unfamiliar with. Could it be one of those? Possibly. It also has that hazy IPA earthy and yeasty bitterness, which lingers on the taste buds, which becomes overpowering after one pint; it was hard for me to finish a second.

Fun facts about Neon:

• Style: New England IPA.

• Price: $14.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

• Alcohol content: 6.5 percent ABV.

• Barn Town is an enigma to me. There is a lot of love for it among the Iowa beer folks I follow on Twitter (which is not a long list), and I’m unsure why. Granted, I have very limited experience with their beer; this is only the second Barn Town beer I have reviewed, and the first that has been canned and bought in a store. More liquid research is needed.

The Quiet Man’s grade: B.