Indica India Pale Ale

Tasted Friday evening after getting home from a fun filled evening spent at the tapping of Great River's Cellarmen's Series' Lavender Pale ale, Mississippi River Distillery's Release party of their Bourbon, followed by a swift dinner at Granite City. Long day, but worthy of a beer at the end.

Appearance: Copper colored with a faint chill haze about it. The head is bubbly and white with a dense foam and strong head retention. Lacing is dry and and styrafoam-like. Carbonation is persistent and prominent.
Aroma: Pine and notes of stale hops. Undertones of bittering orange peel. Grainy and a biscuit caramel sweetness formulate a base that bellows up from the beer. Mild citrus.
Taste: Biscuit and bread characterise the front sweetness of the beer, while portraying somewhat of a grainy element. Nutty may be another way to interpret the foundation. Some developmental floral notes, paralleled by the bittering orange peel. Some pine and herbs, but not in a fresh, foresty kind of way. A faint mustiness resides, but is nothing too much to deter the taster. Nearly acidic in the finish with the bite of the carbonation and the bitterness from the hops. The aftertaste is reminiscent of grass, and...weed?
Mouthfeel: Softened body due to the carbonation which presents itself in a micro-bubbled texture that foams several seconds after being on the palate. Finish is dry and resinous.
Overall Impression: A good IPA in some respects, but not necessarily encapsulating a fresh character. I thought the hops could have been presented better. Nevertheless, the bittering orange peel went well alongside the biscuit/bready malt base, while the finish terminated on a crisp dry note.


81/100