Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Encore IPA

Tasted with Thomas Christian and Jen on a quite night, that would eventually expand into a in depth conversation of politics and religion with none other than Mr. Joshua Schipp.

Appearance: Quite hazy with the look of grapefruit juice. Mostly amber in color while retaining a poor head with little retention. Otherwise the head remains as thin ring around the glass. Poured correctly (of which I regrettably did not the first time) the beer exhibits a beautiful head, peaks and all.
Aroma: Fruity maintaining a strong bittered nose. Some citrus finishes off and otherwise pale malt barley sweetness. A bit of floral character accompanies a nice refreshing grassiness.
Taste: The flavor is quite grassy with a strong grapefruit flavor - mostly of the zest and bitterness kind, and lesser of the actual sweetness. Some floralness and little malt to be distinguishable. A bit of a drying alcohol and grass finish. Overall I think there is some strangeness to the bitterness that I cannot put a description to. Perhaps something synthetic.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation spikes the tip of the tongue and pulls the bittersweetness through to its end. There is ease to drinking this and nothing really thick about it. Still refreshing to taste. Sustained aftertaste.
Overall Impression: Decent, but nothing I would probably buy again. I didn't think it really had the profile to fit with an IPA particularly because of its off balanced nature, tending more towards the hops and less to sweetness and malt.


79/100

2 comments:

  1. I love reading and comparing you're east coast beer reviews :)

    Here's what I got for this same one, although a year difference could account for changes not only in the experience but in the recipe.

    http://burlingtonbeer.blogspot.com/2012/01/magic-hat-encore-ipa.html

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  2. Good call. Especially with the Howl. Working at the brewery really helps you get to know how much beer changes from year to year, especially with the hop availabilities.
    Good stuff man. I'll keep an eye out for some of the Vermont stuff and get back to you on it!

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