Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA

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

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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UPDATED: OCT 29, 2007 Pours slightly hazed, tawny yellow w/ a medium sized semi creamy froth. Good hangtime receding to partial canopy and a fluffy garter belt. Aroma of brisk hops w/ mild biscuiting. Full nectar w/ good carbonation and a soft texture. Flavors of fresh tangerine rind up front. Moderate malt backbone w/ minimal carameling and sodium. Quite simple and on the mellow side of the IPA spectrum. Posesses a defined yet soft asprin tingle on the finish. Overall: A good specimen well balanced. This wet hop brew offers all the IPA madness in a more approachable style. Otherwise it’s a good brew. Drinks better as it warms. I’d like to see the hops aged like cigar tobacco sometime.

Pours with a hazy, orangish gold color. It is lightly carbonated yet summons forth a solid, three finger thick, pale tan colored head. The aroma is nicely grassy; notes of straw and fresh cut grain. Of course the hops are center stage here; notes of citrus that leans towards sweet lemon notes, lychee, tangerine. It is really interesting how much dry malty grain character is noticeable in the aroma.

The taste is quite smooth feeling, the lack of carbonation adds to this. The palate is quite soft; especially up front, but the hops quickly grab hold of the flavor & palate profile. A biting bitterness lingers throughout this beer and is joined by an astringent grassy, definitely herbal hoppiness. Notes of citrus remind me of lemons and tart grapefruits, but also there are notes of herbaceous pine with just a touch of menthol. This beer is actually a bit out of whack. Despite that this beer is supposed to be joyous expression of hops, it does not have enough malt backbone to stand up to the hops and the hops aren’t even that overwhelming. The beer is a bit too thin, and could use more caramelized malt to balance out the sharp hop notes. This is a beer I could see myself drinking and enjoying at times, but for some reason the balance just strikes me a bit too unbalanced right now. I’ll certainly have to revisit this beer again, but for now I am going to move on to other things.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson, AZ

On draft at O’Briens Wet Hop Festival. Hazy golden amber color with little to no head and generous amounts of bubbles clinging to and rising from the sides of the glass. Nice citrus hop aroma, grapefruit with a toasty malt character evident as well. Delicious IPA flavor, smooth sweet malt backbone, orange and grapefruit juice, nice puckering finish. Medium body, little to no carbonation, smooth and a bit oily.

On Tap @ O’Brien’s. Clear golden color with no head. Very light aroma. Not sure if I smell anything. Flavor is a grapefruit pine combo that results in an almost pineapple zesty lemon tartness. Different. Early on in the sip some malty sweetness is apparent. By midway that vanishes in the face of hops. Crisp fresh tasting brew.

22oz bottle (wet hop 6.5%abv) poured a strange hazed yellow/gold color with no head and little carbonation. The aroma is a massive citrus with some pine and not much malt. The first taste had a huge bitterness that faded quickly. A tad watery with no malt noticable and a huge hop profile. Almost tastes like a hop tea and not a beer.

22oz. Bottle. Aroma is like standing next to a citrus tree in full bloom. Copper body with good head and second glass had some floaters. Flavor was that good citrus grapefruit that I have come to enjoy with enough malt balance to calm the bitterness. Leaves a dry citrus palate and some alcohol warming to the body. Good Brew.

Well balaced but flavor a bit subdued. Nice hop aroma matched with sweet malty back. Easy drinking.

UPDATED: OCT 20, 2008 Dull hop-hazed golden. White head slowly disperses but retains a dense and pasty ring. Unpleasant whiff of doughy yeast, cat urine, and husky malts tarnish the pungent lime, grass, tangerine, and mango hop aromas. Some cheesy hop odor is apparent as well. Firm carbonation scrubs the palate. Hop character is initially oily and brashly chalky. Rather flabby due to the unruly oiliness coupled with slippery underlying melon fruitiness. The hint of cat urine doesn’t help things. Flash of sharply spicy and fairly well-defined grassiness quickly succumbs to a protrusive husky malt foundation which keeps the softer, juicier dabs of tangerine, peach, and mango hop flavors from taking foothold. Poorly attenuated, and little in the way of brightness as the hop definition is fuzzy and its character unrefined, one-dimensional and dull rather than explosively flavorsome. Doughy yeast continues to wreak havoc as it films the palate, further dulling the fresh-picked hop flavors. Finishes with a warm alcohol flourish, as a spicy, grassy hop bitterness underlies the doughy yeast and huskiness. A rather dirty and sloppy beer.

Draft in 2007 at Southern Sun, Boulder - Hop Harvest: Clear straw. Sticky white wisp of head quickly dwindles into nothing. Pungent nose of pinesap, dried pineapple, and toasted crackers. Heavy swirls release unappealing notes of cheesy yeast and garlic. Soft and dense carbonation. Initial dash of juicy acidity combats but eventually succumbs to a deeply oily and resinous hop foundation. Robust notes of pine prick the tip of the tongue as a firm bed of crackery malt lends a slight toasty sweetness. Somewhat airy at the center, and although fresh notes of pine and garlic steadily intensify, the lack of hop flavor fails to contribute any complementary depth. Finishes oily, resinous, and oniony wuth a light notion of dusty malt dryness. Pine and garlic linger. Overall, delightfully intense in its bitterness, but it also manages to remain well-balanced. With that said, it’s just a bit hollow, flavorwise, and the aroma lacks strength and brightness.

Draft. Amber beer with no head. Fresh citrus/grapefruit aroma. Grapefruit flavor with astringent malts. Lingering grassiness and grapefruit flavor. Medium bodied. Some sweetness as you get through it. I had this as 6.3% and finished with Chinook/Centennial.

Tap, O’Brien’s. Pours a medium golden color. Looks like a lighter IPA. Only a hint of orange. Strong piney hop aroma. Slight sweetness upfront with only mild bitterness. A little graininess. Low carbonation giving a smooth mouthfeel. Finish is quite bitter.