Scurvy IPA

Thanks to Andrew for giving me a bottle of this during our brief tasting of the DFH 120 minute IPA about a month ago. I first tried this in the brewery when he brought a sample of it. Finally got around to reviewing it after a relaxing weekend spent in Chicago visiting family and attending Adam Slaker's farewell party in Westmont.

Appearance: A very clear copper amber color with a puffy cream colored head that pillows the beer. The lacing is dry and styrafoam-like. Carbonation is visible as microbubbles frequently rise in every sq. cm of the liquid, and, even with a few bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass.
Aroma: A bit beer'y upon first scent, but as the olfactory familiarizes, more hop based undertones and fruit notes develop. Notes of the grain bill are present but layered under more aggressive flavors. I get the pine scent most dominantly overall else.
Taste: The start is neutrally sweet with a hint of grainy 2-row. Immediately to flow is a burst of hop complexities and bitterness. More specifically, pine and grapefruit skin are derived from the majority of this flavor. However, as strong as the AA bitterness is, the end and on into the finish holds a faint fruit sweetness that helps to carry the beer into a refreshing and very palatable finish. Finally, the end permeates the familiar orange peel flavor, not in the form of a tea or extract, but real orange peel. The finish is bitter and long lasting with that all too prominent sweetness carrying on until there is nothing left.

Mouthfeel: A very fine carbonation but in high concentration helps fuel a medium bodied IPA with a nice refreshing finish. Nevertheless, given the remaining sweetness that is present throughout, there is still a cloying feeling at the roof of the mouth, even when the tongue goes dry from the bitterness. Soft feeling.
Overall Impression: The sweet foundation of this IPA boasts an orange zest and citrus bitterness in conjunction with pine based hops. Smooth texture and very palatable. A good IPA for fall, but perhaps a bit too sweet/heavy for a summer refreshing, but the finishing bitterness, whether resulting from the hops or orange peel, still dries out the palate.