4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle, John’s Grocery, Iowa City. Lots of dense, sticky ivory lace on a used penny pour. Aroma takes me a little off-guard—this is not what I was expecting. A very delicate papaya, then the gentle toasty warmth of angelfood cake. A little further in, tangerine notes, spruce. Very pretty and subtle. Dark toasted caramel flavor blends perfectly with more of that wonderful tropical papaya hop character. A little wood and lime in the pleasantly dry finish. This would be good beer whoever brewed it, but coming from a brewery I have no experience with until now, I am just bowled over. A unique and delicious take on IPA. (In adding this rating, I’m seeing that they used Simcoe in here. Really surprised! I like Simcoe and use them a lot, but I’ve never had them express tropical notes like this.)
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours an amber color with frothy off white head. Aroma of resinous hops, caramel malt and some cat piss. Taste is earthy hops, toasted grain and caramel. Finishes pretty smooth and well balanced. Not bad.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Dry and hoppy. Pine resin aroma and lots of carbonation. The malts are almost an afterthought, but there is a dab of them in there. Bitter bitter finish with a touch of citrus. I like it.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
(bottle) amber with small white head. Aroma of citrus. Flavor is grapefruit, caramel malts.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Pours a dark amber color with a thin white head that leaves sheets of lacing on the glass. Very attractive beer! Smells of floral and earthy hops are most prevalent. The taste is very nice with strong notes of flower, hay, and strong hops. Finish is very nice with a bitter aspect. A terrific surprise!
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours a bright amber with a thick antique lace head that stays around and rings the glass. Spicy pine cone aroma. Full sweet caramel malt flavor with hints of citrus and a fairly astringent hop bitterness. Quite good!
4.6 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Wow - I bought this on a whim , and was I pleasantly surprised! It is a fantastic, hoppy, fruity beer with a great overall feel and taste. It lands near the top of my IPA list!!
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
12oz bottle. Pours a crystal clear bronze-orange body with a finger-width, tan, slowly dissipating head that leaves lots of heavy lacing. Aroma is big on the floral and sweet caramels. Lots of fresh citrus, mostly a mix of sharper, piney grapefruits with sweeter mandarin oranges. The sweeter caramels give off a bit of a fruitcake, bready aroma as well. Flavor is a very bright, floral citrus with a nice, rounded and sweet caramel balance. Finishes with a light toasted toffee, dried mango, and an all-of-a-sudden, all-out resiny bitterness that lingers with lots of earthy hop and fruit flavor for quite a long time. Palate is dry and light to medium bodied, but fairly chewy. Overall, a really impressive flavor after a slightly above average aroma. Really nice balance to the big hop/caramel flavor as well. Solid IPA.
|
