Sly Fox Challenger IPA

Formerly brewed at Sly Fox Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Pottstown and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Lasting white head mounts the hazy reddish orange shade. Well displayed malts bring a cerealic, caramelly and toasted bread identity to this hop harvest, ripe oranges, blossoming flowers and mature herbs all mingling one around the other. Engaging carbonation, powdery texture, medium body. Very dry example with a solid bitterness and restrained acidity. Well balanced.

Pours a clear amber color with a thin white head. Aroma of fruity hops. Flavor of floral and fruity hops with caramel and a strong bitter finish. Light to medium body with a creamy texture and soft carbonation. The Challenger hops has an interesting flavor profile but this beer lacks some intensity.

Sly Fox IPA Project is a great undertaking by the brewery. The IPA offerings can go either English or American IPA style based on the hops. Challenger IPA is very English. Copper colored body, solid cream head and floral aroma. Challenger hops give the IPA a welcoming spicy flavor. Challenger hops are used in many English Bitters, having an IPA with challenger hops exclusively was a bloddy good showcase for this hops.

The Lure:
Suggestions of well-integrated spicy hops are displaced by the thought of blandness. It is certainly crafted with care, but it doesn’t attract much interest up front. Perhaps Challenger hops need more quantity late in the boil to develop a more alluring perfume?

The Festivities:
Orangey, wooden, and peppery hoppiness yield proficient flavor and bitterness. A round biscuity malt structure balances out the whole production, and enhances the flavor spectrum beautifully.

Transcendence:
Simultaneous efforts go further.

Draft at the Grey Lodge in Philly. Now this is a beer. Nice dry hoppy flavor. With some bitterness to it.

Appears a transparent hazy amber with a small off-white head that slowly fades. Spotty & streaky lacing to be seen. Smell is faintly of earthy & wood toned hops with perhaps just a touch of pine and citrus in the background. Very English IPA IMO. Taste is good. Same faint aromas kicked up slightly a notch with a gentle spiciness. Very bitter without a whole lot of interference from a maltiness. Mouthfeel is ok. Slight bit of woodiness and bitterness linger. Well carbonated and medium bodied.

Draft at Phoenixville location. Pours a hazy copper, head settles to a thin creamy film. Forget lacing on this one, the whole opposite side of the glass was just covered in a creamy film. Aroma of fresh hops, malt, spicy, citrus. Flavor is great, lots of spicy hops and what tastes to me exactly like those red hot fireballs I used to eat as a kid. Strong malt background as well. Palate is full bodied and oily with great carbonation. The best beer I had there (of 7) by far. Very unique tasting IPA. I love the concept behind this beer, and just wish I was closer to be able to try their others in the Project.

On tap at the Sly Fox in Phoenixville, PA. Poured a medium to darker amber color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of citrus, oranges, very light grapefruit and light caramel. Tastes of the same. Not your bitterness overload IPA and well balanced and tasty. Nice lacing left on the glass.

Poured a hazy amber color with a medium sized, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of pine, citrus, floral hops,a nd light caramel malt as well. Taste was very fruity, some caramel malts, grains, grassy hops, and citrus fruits, finishing with bitter fruits and light alcohol.

Draught @ Brewery: What aroma? I know this is supposed to be an aromatic hop varietal, but I don’t smell a thing. Beautiful, opaque, glowing orange color. Big white head. Good lacing. Really a pretty beer. Tastes of floral, spicy hop. Easy to drink. Makes the tounge tingle. Medium bodied. Overall, a good IPA.