Sly Fox Challenger IPA

Formerly brewed at Sly Fox Brewhouse
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Royersford and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania USA

Leafy, herbal, woody, orange blossom hop nose with underlying toasty, biscuity malt character. Hazy orange-copper coloured body with a decent, off white head that recedes to cover with some lacing. Tart orange citrus hops with plenty of earthy and floral character and strong bitterness. Toasted malt base is lightly sweet. Medium light body with lively carbonation. Sampled on tap at the brewpub with beerbuzzmontreal, egajdzis, Eyedrinkale, MartinT, Rastacouere and Yowie.

One of the best that the Sly Fox has done in the firist two years of this IPA Project, outstanding IPA, amber in color with an orange hue, thick off-white head, great lacing around the glass, aroma full of hops & oranges, full-bodied, great malty backbone for nice balance, dry & hoppy flavors with notes of oranges & caramel, dry & bitter finish, excellent IPA

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.