Bold City Chinook IPA

Brewed by Bold City Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Jacksonville, Florida USA

On tap at Bold City. It poured deep copper with white head. The aroma is strangely Chinook like with spice, earthiness and some citrus. The taste is much the same with a mix of spice and earthy hops along with sweet malts and citrus. It has a pleasing thin layer of sweet malts creating some balance to the largely hoppy flavor.

Tap@ the brewery. Pours orange/golden, beige head. Aroma is fairly straight forward with unique hop aroma adding some pine, floral touch. The malty character seems to be subdued and I picked up more of the hop profile. Flavor was similar, some floral, pine notes with light malty characteristics. Hops add to the mouthfeel though not retaining too much bitterness and adding apricot like flavor.

New to Jax, love this place, hometown brew lover in paradise. This is my favorite so far.Grapefruit bitterness, clean beer yet harsh finish, complex if you will give it the time. Dark hue looks like a red or a high gravity IPA but yields a drinkable brew, but the smell will really get you. Look for great things from this place, give them time.

On tap @ Bold City. Clear, solid copper color. Aroma of fruity, floral hops. Light raspberry essence. Flavor is very light. Distant caramel malt, very nice hop flavors. Wish this one could be a bit bolder. Needs texture. 25 July 09

While I am extremely thrilled to see a brand new craft brewery open up in Florida, I find it ironically amusing that they did so after I moved from Jacksonville back to Vero Beach.

Brilliantly clear amber fills my glass like a winter’s sunset, pure and untainted. Her bubbly head sticks around for the long haul, leaving little rivulets of lace and foam wherever she goes. Her clear presence leads the way for a clean and vibrant hop aroma. Floral with hints of lavender and soap while fresh, golden fields of hay whisper on the breeze. A hint of dewy pine and more lavender follows, leading me into an equally delightful clean quaff. IPAs are great for cleansing the palate while bursting with flavors and complexities all at the same time, and the Bold City Chinook IPA is no different. Lavender, lily, and soap wash over my tastebuds while a vivifying bite grabs the back of my throat and doesn’t let go. Dry hay and grains, crisp pine needles beaded with morning dew, and a hint of waxy citric skin. I am intrigued because I was expecting a stronger pine presence, but the addition of delicate floral esters and golden fields of plenty is a tasty treat. As my mission nears completion, the floral tones fade into the background while a more prominent, palate drying presence of hay, citrus skin, grass, and pine finishes with a flourish.

Rather tasty, if I do say so myself, and intriguingly different than what I was expecting. But then again, that is a large component of what makes exploring the almost infinitely diverse world of beer exciting: you never know what you are going to get. There is a little bit of wonder and delight in every bottle. I am definitely looking forward to trying more of Bold City’s beers fresh at their brewery during my next trip up to Jacksonville.

On tap at the brewery. Clear red copper with a thin beige head. Earthy and citrusy nose, big caramel presence. Flavor brings in some piney woodiness. Rich!

Growler @ throwdown. Deep, rich orange color with a thin even white head. Mild citric hop aroma, but quite malty underneath. Hop bite on taste is almost astringent, but stops short of being offensive. Decent.

on tap-pours an off white head and copper color. Aroma is pine. Taste is pine hops-some sharp bitter, secondary sweet medium malt-caramel. 091015- rerate-on tap 3.7