swoopjones (1862), Buffalo, New York, USA Aug 20, 2009 bottle. Reddish orange pour. Caramel malt aroma with medium citrusy hop aroma. Taste is more malty but has nice hop presence. Pinet & citrusy hops. Sessionable ipa esjaygee (1467), Oak Creek, Wisconsin, USA Jun 20, 2009 Copper red with a medium tan head, slowly fading tan head that leaves splotched of lace. Aroma of citrus hops and crystal malt with some mild pine mixed in. Taste of heavy grapefruit, citrus hops, herbal hops and caramel. Fairly sweet but not overly cloying and finishes up with moderate bitterness. Solid, though not spectacular. Narnad (682), Wonder Lake, Illinois, USA Jun 15, 2009 Pours a deep amber color with a frothy, thick, white head. Great lacing is left on the glass from the beer. Aroma has a pungent citrus and pine hop note, sweet malt and pineapple aromas with some caramelized, roasted malt notes at the end. Flavor is very full with a great citrus and pine bitterness, a great roasted malt flavor comes through in the middle with a smooth caramel malt sweetness at the end. Density is very good and mouth feel is smooth from the low, fine carbonation. Great lacing from this brew on the glass. A very fine IPA for a thirst quenching beer. DalzAle (476), Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA Jun 9, 2009 Bottle. Hazy pumpkin colored pour, medium carbonation. Very bitter hops aroma and some citrus. Flavor was generic hops, malts, and nothing special to separate it from other IPA’s. Decent beer, but nothing special FlacoAlto (2473), Tucson, Arizona, USA May 24, 2009 No bottle date; Sampled May 2009,br>
A solid pour produces a fat two-finger thick, light tan colored head in my large Tripel Karmeliet glass. The beer is a dark amber, really plum color that shows hazy, light cherry color when held up to the light. The aroma is crystal malt dominated with stick caramelized malt sugars, a biscuit-like toastiness and even a bit of sweet tea aromas coming through. A touch of grassy, slightly herbal hop character is noticeable in the finish, but you really have to dig around to notice it underneath the heavy crystal malt notes. The nose on this beer has a nice, chewy malt character to it, but the hop character is just lame and a huge let down for a mild Pale Ale, much less an IPA.
A bit fizzy as it hits the tongue, the beer is not nearly as sweet as the aroma suggests. The beer has a herbal, sometimes menthol like hop note that lightly flavors the beer and there is a bitterness in the finish that is somewhat consumed by the up front malt character during most of the flavor profile, but it does come out a bit more in the lingering, dry finish. Crystal malt derived flavor dominate in the second sip with sweet tea flavors, dry but caramelized malt notes, and a solid biscuit like malt toasted note. The beer has a medium fullness to it that is a bit heavier and chewier than I like in an IPA
Definitely a huge let down, this is a perfect example of a mildly hoppy Amber Ale, but I was really hoping for an IPA. There are not off flavors it is just too focused on crystal malt derived flavors. ElGaucho (1730), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA May 22, 2009 Bottle. Citrusy floral hop aroma. Can’t really tell the color because I’m drinking it out of a styrofoam cup and because the yellowish, off-white head is pillowy enough that you can’t see through it. Flavor is very well balanced, with a solid sweetness offset by a very solid hop backbone. This brew is grossly underrated. DavidP (1743), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA May 8, 2009 A pretty typical caramelly, citrusy IPA. Tasty & well-done though. Nothing wrong with that. islay (470), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Apr 28, 2009 12 oz. bottle, labeled as "Glacial Trail IPA." Strong, fruity, yeasty, herbal/vegetal aroma that is very pleasant. Apricot, pine, and peach scents that remind me of pie filling. Clean smell from the yeast. Complex and appetizing aroma. Pours a bright light orange to copper color. Cloudy liquid. Effervescent. A good amount of suspended particulate. Moderate amount of thick, off-white head. Good lacing. The taste is more bitter and less flavorful than the aroma would imply. Cookie maltiness. Long, bitter, dirt-like aftertaste. Light to medium body. Soft and silky in the palate. Light and airy. Easy to drink.
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