Hearty Hop I.P.A

Thanks to Joshua Schipp for bringing this back from his trip through Wisconsin over his winter vacation. Tasted Wednesday evening out of a snifter while listening to The Shins and Postal Service.

Appearance: Bright ambered red with a very minimal head. There is still sustained a light white foam ring around the edges of the glass. The beer is quite clear but relatively still looking, except for the occasional bubble or two struggling to the surface.

Aroma: Faint caramel resides at the front. Given a vigorous swirl, th nose it met with a blast of very fresh hop smells, reminiscent of pine and orange citrus. Tropical esters. The smell is rich and juicy!

Taste: Sweet and malty in the foretaste with notes of caramel and brown sugar. I get the sense that there was an extract added to this beer, (whether that is a syrup of malt concentrate) because the sweetness has a very clean flavor to it. The end is a combination of bitterness, alcohol and undertoned hop derived fruit. I get peaches and pineapple, complimented with a mild earthiness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and smooth in texture. Some stickiness is maintained on the lips along with a cloy on the roof of the mouth. Carbonation briefly fizzles the tip of the tongue. Finish is dry, but not overly so.
Overall Impression: More of a mellow IPA, but enough hops get through to let you know what it is. The hops leave a distinct and easily distinguishable impression on the palate, paralleling tropical grapefruit, pineapple and peaches.


91/100