11/21/10: A re-tasting with Elise Meyer, Thomas Christian, Kate Ries, and Jen Misewicz as we sat around a boiling 16 gallon pot of Pale Ale wort in the kitchen.
Appearance: Golden copper color with strong frothy apricot colored head. Also some lacing against the glass. Rich pour and visible carbonation on the glass. Mostly cloudy, but still somewhat transparent.
Aroma: Potent floral hop aroma (but not just grassy). And a rich bouquet of flowery pine and dark fruit esters.
Taste: Extremely strong bitterness from start to finish, pine flavors apparent as well upon the finish. Subtle raisin/dark fruit sweetness attempts to balance the bitter notes of grapefruit zest. Mid-taste, a light biscuitness flavor comes through. But hops are the most pronounced in multi-faceted complexity. Upon second tasting this beer reveals more of a richer biscuit caramel sweet foundation that helps complement the hops. Very tasty and appealing.
Mouthfeel: Creamy mouthfeel from micro-bubble carbonation, that helps blossom out new flavors the deeper one gets into the glass. Thicker body and stickier texture. Very drinkable.
Overall Impression: I do like the sweetness of this once you get used to the alpha bitterness. The paralleled complement between the sweet floral pine bitterness and the malt backbone is one accomplished by few. A spectacular IPA worthy of many six packs to come.
T1: 87/100
11/18/10 T2: 90
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