Elysian The Immortal IPA

Brewed by Elysian Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Seattle, Washington USA

The pour is golden yellow with a small white head. The nose is mild citrus fruits such as orange and pineapple along with mild malt (caramel). The taste is too balanced between malt sweetness and hops. I truly love a hoppy beer when i’m having an ipa or iipa and this just doesn’t live up to it. Decent IPA though, especially for the price.

Looks great in the glass, clear and golden. I love hop aroma in an IPA, and this is where I was disapointed by this beer. There is a mild citrus smell, but mostly the aroma is of mild maltiness and maybe a hint of caramel. The flavor is good with some sweetness that lets a stronger bitter sneak up on the palate a few seconds later. A strong bitterness that lingers. Not bad, but I was expecting so much more. I did not feel that lightning bolt on the bottle.

A Sim rate (on tap at Nat’s corner bar: Marshall Stack): Sweet, salty hops that just make you stop and smile like a cheesy movie. Light, golden coloured with a lace that says, "Hi, I’m an IPA". Sweet and bitter flavours in equal measure. Nice hoppy tartness. Citric notes mostly in the finish. Very distinct grapefruit but also tangerine & satsuma. It’s that great combo of sweet & sour usually confined to my Chinese dinner. Wow, I really enjoyed this. ’Mon 2010, year of the hops!

Brewed on Christmas ’09. Nice pour with a sparkling clear, goldish color and a mostly lasting, average, off-white, pillowy, creamy head which leaves some drippy lace. The nose is pleasant but not as potent as I expect from American IPA’s; notes of pine and spruce, tangerine and ruby red grapefruit, and hints of spice, cookie, and and biscuits. The flavor is similar with light pine, some mint, a rustic bitterness, and tangerine. The palate is okay with a less-than-medium body, a sticky mouthfeel, and a nearly lively carbonation. The finish is a bit of a letdown for the beer with a slight metallic note to match tangerine, mint, light rustic, and faint cookie. The bitterness is a bit subdued and overshadowed by the metallic finish. A nice beer that could be much better with just a bit of tweaking.

20080920 Bomber from Spirits RB. Pale amber, clean motor oil color. Aroma of caramel and tea-like malts, light citrus and herby hops. Mild flavor, pithy, some vinyl phenols. Meh.

Pours a clear golden copper color with slight golden orange hues when held to a lift source with lots of visible carbonation bubbling up and a very thick 2.5 finger frothy off white head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Sporadic chunks of soapy lacing left behind. Very earthy aroma with a lot of piney hop character, pine needle, lyesol, and faint citrus notes. It kind of smells like air freshener. Very bitter and intensely dry medium body with very earthy pine notes that linger throught into an extremely dry tongue coating finisih. The pine presence is so strong that it actually tasted like chemicals and air freshener. The citrus presence from the aroma is nowhere to be found. It actually feels like I walked into a room that was oversprayed with Lyesol. This beer is way too harsh and difficult to drink. I love ultra hoppy beers, IPA/DIPAs but this beer is just not very good.

Sweet caramel nose gives way to lime/grapefruit hops with a touch of apricot. Shallow white head balances atop the clear light copper colored ale. Slight sweetness fades to lots of hop bitterness as your tongue gets coated in IBUs. Medium body feels just right as does the light carbonation. The long bitter finish is just what I look for in an IPA!

Rich gold, bright white head. Honey malt aroma. I remember this as much, much more bitter. Have I changed? It’s now over a year that New Belgium first began brewing these larger batch Elysian beers. Has to be dialed in now. Biscuit malt reminds me of New Belgium, gentle earthy hops. Hmm.