Tropic King (Māori King) - Funkwerks

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

750ml bottle, 8% ABV. I'm thinking this is actually the 'Maori King' version, as it proclaims to use those increasingly trendy Rakau hops from New Zealand. Thanks again to the good doktorzee for bringing this back from Colorado.

This beer pours a rather hazy, orange-tinted medium golden yellow colour, with a rising column of tightly fizzy, effusively foamy white head, which leaves some random splotches of patchy, fuzzy lace around the glass as it very slowly settles.

It smells of sweet candied, bready caramel malt, earthy yeast, papaya, banana, nectarine, and unripe mango, soft white pepper, and a more coriander-borne spiciness than that of ginger. The taste is semi-sweet bready, slightly crackery pale malt, with a duly lessened caramel input, muddled tropical fruit - the peach and dried mango standing out most - joined by some more pedestrian mandarin orange and melon tag-a-longs, somewhat acerbic farmhouse yeast, an ethereal powdered ginger spiciness, a touch of airborne black pepper, and some floral, lightly perfumed hops. That last bit brought to you by the cleverly obfuscated and integrated 16-proof booze quotient.

The bubbles are a tad tight and astringent at times, but mellow out just the same, the body a decent medium weight for this amped-up version of the style, and tacitly smooth, all that spice, fruit, and yeast hardly capable of anything more suave. It finishes off-dry, the grain getting a bit biscuity, the fruit remaining static, as the yeast and spices trail off into the ether.

A pretty tasty south-seas-enhanced saison, well bolstered by the domestic ABV goodness. This of course takes us deeper into headier Belgian ale territory, so much so that I'd easily mistake this otherwise for a yeasty strong pale ale. Ah well - borders are meant to be broached, aren't they?

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2013 05:34:05 | More by biboergosum

pinnser

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

06-09-2013 20:26:49 | More by pinnser

SourinQns

New York

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

06-07-2013 02:53:26 | More by SourinQns

beernads

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.5%

06-03-2013 18:37:16 | More by beernads

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-16-2013 21:30:56 | More by InspectorBob

srhoadsy

Florida

4.21/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Served chilled into a fluted tulip.

Pours a bright yellow gold with 2 inches of foamy white head that very slowly recedes leaving moderate surface layer and lacing.

Aromas of citrus, sour grapes and tropical fruits.

Very strong flavors of fruit. The aforementioned citrus, sour grapes and pears, pineapple and other tropical fruit. Just enough spice and funk to keep this one from being a little too sweet.

Medium bodied with a sweet, crisp finish. Moderate to heavy carbonation with a strong but quickly fading aftertaste.

Overall a very nice beer. Crisp and clean in appearance and feel, but very complex in flavor. Quickly becoming a fan of Funkwerks.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 21:53:15 | More by srhoadsy

schoenfelderr

South Dakota

4/5  rDev -1.5%

04-22-2013 07:00:13 | More by schoenfelderr

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.16/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Received as an extra in a trade and poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - A slow gusher, a crystal clear dark golden hue with an almost 4 finger head that slowly faded down to a thick, fat blanket but did not leave much side lacing. Looks very carbonated.

S - Like others have said, this walks the line between a Belgian strong pale ale and a saison. Candi malts, light bready/yeats, coriander, clove, very faint citrus.

T - Taste is a bit more citrus than the nose. Faint melon and grapefruit. Light alcohol esters. Finish is more belgian with coriander and faint clove. Light bread too and faint wheat. Alcohol gets more prominent on the finish. Not getting much tropical notes.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, keeps the alcohol up off the tongue. Easy drinking.

O - Overall, a solid saison. Wish, for namesake, mine was more tropical though.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 21:03:05 | More by rudzud

FalconA

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

04-14-2013 22:29:23 | More by FalconA

mdaschaf

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

04-08-2013 21:59:27 | More by mdaschaf

jjcote

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

03-16-2013 19:20:04 | More by jjcote

Corey17

New York

4/5  rDev -1.5%

03-10-2013 00:14:26 | More by Corey17

AlexFields

Tennessee

4.06/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy toffee color with a huge white head--head takes up at least 2/3 of the glass.

Smells tropical indeed. Pineapple, mango, lemon, citrus zest, tons of coriander and others zesty spice, tons of farmhouse yeast. Very bright. Smells excellent.

Taste is concentrated on lemon and citrus zest and spices. Bright but also fairly sweet, a pretty strong malt character, maybe wheat? Plenty of yeast again too. Very tasty.

Very carbonated, almost too carbonated but it works well for the style.

Excellent saison! Complex, drinkable, very well done.

8.1/10

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 04:01:35 | More by AlexFields

StubFaceJoe

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

01-13-2013 02:07:46 | More by StubFaceJoe

fmccormi

New York

4.29/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Straight pour from a 750ml pry-off bottle to a large wineglass (Hill Farmstead stem); no bottling date visible, but there's a note that says to cellar no more than one year. It was purchased within the last month, for what that's worth.

Appearance (4.5): Pours with three to four fingers of eggnog-colored head, composed of a mixture of fine and big, fat bubbles that slowly bubble away as the head recedes (which is extremely slowly). The head caps a glowing, orange-amber body, which is very cloudy. Shows excellent head retention with significant lacing, webbing the sides of the glass—even has a little plateau in the middle of the head. Awesomeness.

Smell (4.25): Walks the line between BSPA and saison, showing some candi sweetness in the malt body, throwing some simple syrup into a subtle, pale, crackery-bready character. But spice and fruit dominate the nose: candied orange slices, some sweet pear juice, and a good dose of warming spice (coriander, light clove, light ginger).

Taste (4.25): Really interesting things are going on here: honeydew, blood orange, some grapefruit peel bitterness, and then some cutting lime / lemon tartness intermixes with some vaporous (BSPA-like) alcohol warmth in the finish . . . all the while almost matched (like 60/40?) with coriander and ginger spiciness, a hint of black pepper, and a floral-herbal bitterness to boot. So much going on. Pale, bready malts with the brightness of wheat acts as a canvas for this craziness, and as it warms more of that starchy, bready, biscuity malt body comes out, and the fruit notes shift toward peach, mango, and lemon.

Mouthfeel (4.5): Great feel: slightly oil and viscous with a medium-full body, marked by sharply tingling carbonation that foams softly and smoothly on the way down, filling out moderately. The alcohol and hop oils dry out—gently, gently—the finish and it becomes very, very drinkable.

Overall (4.25): This shows off a very solid base saison, amped up to the point that it blurs the line with BSPAs significantly; the spiciness of the yeast, which creates a clear ginger character, acts as a fantastic complement to the juicy, fruity character of those Kiwi hops. More like a juicy-hoppy BSPA with a rustic, farmhouse-y side to the spiciness of the yeast. Great beer, worth seeking out if you’re a fan of saisons or BSPAs like me.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 01:32:35 | More by fmccormi

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

12-24-2012 06:39:56 | More by Bonko_the_sane

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.98/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours orange with a big thick head that eventually receded, but still good lacing.

A lot of floral aromas with a touch of citrus and some funk. Not a ton going on in the nose.

A little bit of a cracker malt sweetness up front in the palate. A little funky earthiness and way too much pepper then creep in before finishing somewhat spicy from floral hoppiness. Pepper is out of balance.

Decent mouthfeel. Medium bodied, probably a bit more than most saisons.

Meh have yet to be impressed by a Funkwerks beer. Nothing special here.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 17:01:34 | More by jmarsh123

cestlavie

Yukon (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +17%

10-15-2012 04:17:16 | More by cestlavie

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

10-01-2012 02:06:54 | More by t0rin0

CManuel

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

07-20-2012 18:04:03 | More by CManuel

thewimperoo

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.5%

06-13-2012 17:29:40 | More by thewimperoo

rkarimi

Colorado

2.5/5  rDev -38.4%

06-07-2012 00:27:20 | More by rkarimi

Dave121275

Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +17%

05-07-2012 01:39:57 | More by Dave121275

mhaugo

California

3/5  rDev -26.1%

03-30-2012 20:04:06 | More by mhaugo

rmaste6282

California

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

02-20-2012 19:13:20 | More by rmaste6282