Blind Faith IPA

Thanks to Joe Wietlispach for giving me this beer last weekend as we were hanging out as his house for the football game and enjoying some Hors d'oeuvr's and touring his "home brewery." Reviewed after random running while watching the Midwest regional XC meet at Saukie Golf course.


Appearance: Glowing coppered orange with a juicy hue. The carbonation is high, as a large accumulation of bubbles cling to the sides of the glass. Head is ample, characterized by a soapy cream colored foam. Lacing looks to be stick. Overall, the beer is just borderline of complete cloudiness. No yeast at the bottom of the bottle.

Aroma: Pine and tropical fruit skin emerge from the beer with a touch of ester pepperiness. A biscuit malt backbone uphold the rich aromatic hop complexity. Some stale grapefruit smell is present as well.
Taste: With a malt foundation like that and an earthy character, this beer falls more in the category of English or the European IPA. Nevertheless, the spicy pine and grapefruit are well incorporated to parallel and equally rich biscuit malt base. Peppery at the finish with a bite to compliment followed by orange zest and an undertone of mustiness. The very finish is dry and very grassy tasting once the malt and aromatic hops have subsided, leaving only the bittering to do their work on the leftover flavors. Somewhat of a metallic flavor. Sweeter as it warms.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a lingering stickiness around the lips and at the roof of the mouth. The bubbles at the end are re-inforced by a bitterness of leafy/grass like character, as mentioned earlier.
Overall Impression: Good for an English, but I'm unsure what to think of whether I actually enjoyed it. I did like the grapefruit and pine, but some of what characterizes an English IPA are worth getting used to.




82/100