Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA

I scored a growler of this at the Angel’s Share release 11/10/07. Pours out a light orange color with a thin white head over top. Upon cracking the seal of this beer you get overwhelmed with citrus smells, even before helping yourself to a glass. As I was saying, aroma is the biggest smack of grapefruit and pine resin you can think of, a beautiful and inviting smell. This stuff tastes so clean of hops. Wow, obviously grapefruit domninates but if you take a second to explore..... pine sap followed by a hint of sugar and vanilla. This is one hell, of and IPA. Fairly modest alcohol makes it very drinkable for anyone who loves hops, and don’t let me fool you this one is all about the hops.

Pours a golden yellow with a sight off-white head. Aroma of citrus,grapefruit, pine, and lemon. Tastes of a well balanced ipa some bitter hops and a little malt to balance.

pours a very unattractive yellowy brown with a thin white head and some yeasty cloudiness. aroma is caramel, malty iced tea, sweet citrus juice, pineapple and grapefruit hops.fresh ’green’ flavor is everything in the aroma without the sweetness. citrus skin hop bitterness and black pepper with some lingering pine. it’s balanced....but definitely leaning hard on the hops. medium to full bodied, nice and dry with a prickly mouth feel. finally, an IPA that isn’t sweet and doesn’t hurt my teeth

22oz Bottle: Pours a slightly hazy gold with a small white head. The aroma is intense with with pine and lemon. The taste is resinous and pine dominated with some lemon on the finish. The bitterness is noticeable. The mouth feel is good overall but it has a prickly finish. The beer is very good and the freshness, green character of the hops.

Poured from a killer bomber with a sick label of a big san diego wave. Nice bountiful white head with a cloudy orange golden hue. Smooth and bitter on the palate. Sweet and citrusy aromas on top of flavors of bitter hops and touches of sweet malt. Perfect finish and leaves you wanting more. Close to perfect for an IPA in my book!!!

I’ve had this beer once before, but the last time my taste buds were completely shot from something else, so lets try it with a clean palate. Poured into a Sam Adams glass a sort of typical orange/gold color, with a small head, but one that clung to the glass quite nicely. Retention was another plus for the look of this brew. Aroma had lots of nice tropical fruit characters, with pineapple, tangerine, and also a little bit of cantaloupe as well. Taste started off with a burst of fruit, then went slightly herbal with lots of peppery tastes, finally ending with a nice bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel was perfectly medium in body, and prickly on the tongue. This is a great beer, but it also hits you pretty hard with the hop bitterness. One bomber is enough for me. If it is in your area, I say grab one or two for sure. Cheers

22oz bottle. Slightly hazy golden yellow color with a medium sized rocky white head. Rich, juicy candied citrus, lemon grass, and a high pine tone in the aroma. Earthy, herbal hop flavors up front. Grassy, dewy flavors emerge. Ruddy, resinous piney hop presence later manifests. Lingering citrus and mown grass in the finish, with a pine bite and faint alcohol presence. Mouthfeel is medium, rather dry.

Bomber, courtesy of jarspag as a BONUS (Thanks, Jared!), pours a hazy yellow with a one finger bright white head, moderate lacing. Aroma is wet, grassy hops (oh, yeah!), with light pine and citrus. Flavor follows the aroma nicely, with a milder but lasting hops bite, plenty of grass, pine and citrus presence, and the slightest warming. This is a stellar fresh hop IPA, and yet another hit from Port/Lost Abbey; big shock!