Snoqualmie Falls Wildcat IPA

Brewed by Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Snoqualmie, Washington USA

Lightly hazy apple juice golden pour with some darker orange hints. A thin off-white head creates sparse lacing. The hoppy aroma is simple and pleasant. Cereal grains are tied in nicely with fruit, mostly orange, barely ripe grapefruit and musty canteloupe. Slight vegetation indicative of Columbus single-hopping spurs on fresh green notes. Hay/straw and fresh, unmilled grain is hefty. High bittering units are exciting - they’re one dimensional but this is an easygoing session beer. Toasty, buttery malt(no diacetyl present) provides ample backbone and support. Bitterness is medium-high to high, sweetness is mild to medium, acidity and astringency are medium but never bothersome or overdone. The flavor is balanced, as is the finish - a finale that’s moderately bitter, medium-sweet but drying modestly and steadily. The mouthfeel is fully and finely carbonated, light-medium bodied, lightly sticky and spicy. A very tasty session beer.

Amazing hoppy aroma. Great light orange color, with an yellowish white head. Sent my nose into an intense hoppy heaven. The taste was very fufilling, with a crisp citrus finish. Very bold, all around. Great IPA!! Highly reccomended, but probalby hard to find outside of WA.

16oz draft(Sharp’s Roaster & Ale house 5/13/07)-A slightly hazy golden body with a huge white head. Aroma of hops and citrus. Taste the same. Decent, but a little weak.

Attractive golden yellow w/ good carbonation, active in the maouth w/ aroma as well. fresh hop aroma, definite but not over-powering. But the flavor--harsh & intensely grapefruit (like Magnum & Colmbus hops combines) with no malt presence to balance.

Date: January 06, 2003
Mode: Bottle
Source: Belmont Station, Portland
Appearance: hazy orange, lots of tiny bubbles, lasting big creamy white head like a dolip of vanilla ice cream leaving continous lace dripping down the inside of the glass
Aroma: bold fresh citrus hop aroma
Flavor: lots of citrus hop flavor leaving a lingering bitter finish, malt is hidden at first, but warms to reveal a nice carmel character under all those wonderful hops

Date: September 11, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub
Score: iii to ii+
Appearance: slightly hazy copper, fine off white head, heavy lace
Aroma: light sweet malt aroma, light floral and citrus hops
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, touch of caramel sweetness, lots of blended hop flavor, plenty of balancing bitterness
Overall: still pretty good but surpassed by today’s standard

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **+/4

Bottle from Bottleworks in Seattle. Pours a nice copper color with a great offwhite head. Smells of almost synthetic hops (resin even) and slight candied malt. Taste is slightly sweet caramel malt with a nice hop bite that has tones of resin, grapefruit, and slight pine. The hop resin taste lingers for a long time. Good stuff. This has a body in between an IPA and an IIPA. Maybe even best to say a low alcohol IIPA type beer.

Draft at Taphouse Grill in downtown Seattle. The keg blew as soon as they poured my glass. Pours an orange with a crazy head. This head was dense and frothy, it was off white with random patches of light brown, like an foamy milk head on an expresso. Let’s talk about retention, there was about a quarter inch of it left in the glass when I was done. Aroma of floral hops and grapefruit zest. Initial flavor of pale malts that had toffee and nutty notes. Mid palate brings out some citrus and grassiness, with a good spicy hop bite. Finish is dry and resiny, with a subtle hint of soapiness. Not bad, but I need to get a fresh bottle or a fresher draft. I would suspect this would be even better.

Amber body, nice white head. Aroma is very floral and fruity hoppiness with the apricots showing quite a bit, very nice aroma. Taste is heavy, almost like a IIPA, but it’s not, nice piney hoppiness, along with the fruitiness still showing pretty strong. Body seems a little thick for the style but it’s fine.