<b>Name:</b> Green Elephant<br /> <b>Date:</b> 06/10/2008<br /> <b>Mode:</b> Bottle<br /> <b>Source:</b> Tasting, Cellar Party<br /> <br /> <b>Appearance:</b> hazy orange, fine off white head, <br /> <b>Aroma:</b> sweet crystal malt aroma with lots of fruity and pine hops, touch of floral hops, <br /> <b>Body:</b> creamy body, <br /> <b>Flavor:</b> rich crystal malt flavor, lots of complex hop flavor, well balanced, light bitterness for balance but lets the hops be in control, light lasting bitter finish, <br /> <br /> <b>Aroma:</b> 7/10; <b>Appearance:</b> 7/10; <b>Flavor:</b> 7/10; <b>Palate:</b> 8/10; <b>Overall:</b> 14/20<br /> <b>Rating:</b> 3.6/5.0<br /><b>Drinkability:</b> 7/10<br /> <b>Score:</b> **4<br />

Pours a transparent bronze orange with a stringy wispy-lacing white head. Aroma of sweet lightly biscuity caramel malt and grassy earthy green hops. Body starts fairly full and caramely sweet with some citrusy grassy hops and a drier, semi-bitter grassy finish. An ok IPA, but could use more hop balance and grapefruity character.

22oz bottle pours rusty orange in color with a light haze. Fresh, green herb &#40;mint, basil, thyme&#41; scented hop nose, along with some pillowy, earthy but light yeast notes. Resinous, earthy, nutty hop flavor; some caramel and chewy maple malt flavors, but largely light to medium in body, nearly thin. Okay overall, could be better.

<i>My Bottom Line:</i><br /> A divinely boastful hop bouquet proffers piney, resinous jocundity as its grassy alluvia seep into tender and sweet cereals. This PNW IPA is so honest, I cannot help but want to converse with it more often.<br /> <br /> <i>Further Personal Perceptions:</i><br /> -A veil of foam tops the misty orange blond.<br /> -The tantalizing hop perfume slightly outshines the already enjoyable flavor profile.<br /> -Crushed nuts seem to surface from the malt character, which is a tad underdeveloped.<br /> -Peppery, grassy, coniferous hop bitterness seals the deal and links with the compelling aroma.<br /> <br /> <b>Bottle; thx Mike!</b>

Strong hops in the aroma offer lots of pine and citrus and are perhaps just a bit over the top. Copper coloured body is topped by a decent fine bubbled white head that lasts well. Toasted malts are somewhat overwhelmed by all the hop flavour. Bitterness is strong but not overpowering. Medium body with moderate soft bubbled carbonation. Bottle sampled at a tasting chez MartinT after the qualifying session for Grand Prix 2008.