Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
San Marcos, California USA

This poured a cloudy golden in color with a moderate white head that fades slowly. The nose shows tons of citrus (orange, lemon, pineapple) with a touch of pine. In the mouth it is medium-bodied with nice richness in the midpalate which fades to the dry bitter hops on the finish. This is surprisingly balanced for a harvest ale and probably the best I’ve had this season.

Gold with a slight haze. Big, bleached-white head lasted, as did the foamy lace. Crisp, easy-to-drink texture. Bright hops right off the bat. Notes of citrus (orange rind, bitter grapefruit and lemon), pine, grass and earthy-green hops. Malt flavors were definitely subdued, yet pleasant (light caramel and yeasty bread dough). Bold bitterness definitely took the stage over the faint sweetness. Pretty good IPA with a noticeable fresh hop flavor.

Bottle. Light hazy yellow. White head. Citrus, mainly grapefruit with pine finish. Nice IIPA.

Pour is light and hazy for an IPA with a murky, goldenrod color with some large sediment and the head is average, dense, frothy, and white. Head settles fairly quickly to a lasting, small, frothy layer leaving some nice drippy lace. Wow, grapefruit jumps right out of the nose; notes of pink and white grapefruit are dominant, fresh, and juicy with other underlying notes of tangerine, apricot, and resinous pine. Flavor is equally as juicy with the same pink and white grapefruits with light, sweet tangerine in there too, but the citrusy notes give way in a long progression to a high bitterness of intensely resinous pine. Palate is moderately full, sticky, very refreshing, and soft to lively. The flavor progresses from sweet and citrusy to bitter and a bit drying; by the finish, the high bitterness of the hops include the resinous pine, light green grass, and lingering citrus of grapefruit peel, very long, a bit drying, and bitter. By far the most intense citrus notes I’ve had out of a 6.5% IPA, and I loved it. The grapefruit notes were immense and amazing. This surpassed Stone IPA as my favorite in the style and that is saying a lot. The intense flavors were more reminiscent of an IIPA but the strength was typical of a single. No malt presence to speak of and still one of my favorite bitter beers.

Hazy and light with a small loose head that settles quickly (though gets denser as it settles). Fruity grapefruit with some tangerine and orange (oh did I mention the grapefruit?). Light fresh, reminds me of an Autumn sapphire blue sky. A blast of hops that fades refreshingly; just when you think it gone, you realize that it never went away, you were just enjoying it so much that you forgot to notice. An extremely drinkable beer. Lighter than expected but so good it just goes to show how expectations can ruin everything..

Bottle had tons of sediment, like last year. Poured a dull yellow and SUPA cloudy. Not much of a retaining head, but left webby lace. Tons of grapefruit and resinous hops. Very juicy and very very drinkable.

Bummer, got a bad bottle. No pop on opening the cap of this 22ozer I got at Holiday. No pop on the cap and no bubbles in my beer. Interestingly enough, as a flat, bad bottle, it’s better than a lot of swill that passes as beer. Imagine drinking an entire flas 22 oz bottle of Bud. Not in my lifetime. However, even flat, this is no drainpour. Anyone else catch a bad bottle of this? Am I the exception, or was there a bad batch out there? I’ll rerate when I get ahold of a good bottle. Too bad it’s a work night, or I’d finish this bad boy and move on to the ’’Le Freak’’ calling my name... Rerate Nov 20, 2009 Happy bright amber with effervesent head. Nose sweet pine and caramel. Some fruity sweet in the mouth, followed by bitterness. Still not a world beater.

22 oz bottle. Pours light golden with a thin white head. Light aroma of grass and fruit. Taste is more of the same. Good bitterness, astringent. Kind of a lighter IPA than what I was expecting. Not bad though.