Terminal Gravity IPA

Since moving to the PacNW in 2001, I’ve become a lover of all beer local (N.Cali included). I’ve tried well over 100 IPAs from across the U.S. and to my opinion, TG IPA is tops, though Lagunitas Maximus IPA rateas a solid second. TG’s IPA is a tantalizing copper, orange whose murkiness entices the drinker as bieing a crsip hop-fest in waiting. THe combination of malts make this IPS smooth, after the hard hop hit, finishing clean but full.

01.18.06 12oz bottle thanks to Dark Elf. Hazed amber pour with steady beige head. Aroma is powerful with woody and resinous hops and a light alcohol kick, very nice. The body is full, rich, and yet clean finishing with long lasting acid bitterness. Great balance of solid malt body and showcased hop fun. Not overdone like so many others.

This IPA really rocks. Strong hops character makes it a little bitter. I rate this right along side Lagunitas IPA. If there is any better, bring it on. The head was a little light at the beginning but made up for itself by diminishing very little through my drinking of this delicious brew. Rated at 6.7t% ABV makes it relatively potent. Well worth you trying this one out.

Pours a lightly hazy, copper tinged, amber color that is topped by a frothy tan colored head that is quite large bubbled in places. The aroma is dominated by citrus aromatics; orange, and grapefruit are predominant, but there is a bit of herbal and pine notes as well. After a bit a dry toasted note is noticeable towards the end, which is really all that is noticeable from the malt in this beer.

The taste is dominated by the bitter hop character, which finishes with an herbal almost menthol like pine note. Lingering on in the late finish though is that same dry toasted malt note, which makes me think of biscuit malt. The beer is only lightly sweet, which tends to mute the citrus character that was found in the aroma. There is a heft to this beer though that makes it quite satisfying on the palate; the beer is a bit creamy in texture, it is quite smooth and the body has a certain fullness to it. All of this helps to balance the sharp, biting hop notes, though it certainly in no way holds it in complete check. This is a nice, easy drinking beer, but it seems to be missing out on a bit of complexity, yes even for a hop dominated IPA.

<font size=-4>Purchased via mail order: <a href=http://www.liquidsolutions.ws/main/>Liquid Solutions<font size=-1>

dark brown muddy colored pour. smells hoppy and grassy with a few hits of sour in it. taste is pretty smooth and not quite as bitter as i was hoping it was going to be. a solid ipa, not my favorite, but certainly not what i was expecting. this is an ipa that tastes different from most ipas.

This beer hits the nose with a wild combination of fragrances: a sour mash smell is detected first, followed by an aroma of roasted hops, these scents are followed by the foul smell of burning tires. It is a cloudy maize colored solution that resides under a nice thick off-white head. This beer spreads through the mouth well, but there is some extraordinary sour and bitter aspect of this beer that reacts poorly with my palate.

Draft. This IPA displayed plenty of hop qualities yet leaned toward the sweet side. Aroma of grapefruit, orange peel, pine with caramel/toffee hints. Some floral aroma as well. Most noticable in the flavor was the sweet malt backbone on which sat grapefruit and orange. Dry, bitter finish.

This has been in the fridge for awhile now and finaly got to it. Medium citrus grapefruit aroma and flavor. Light copper body with off white head and some lacing. Cool and crisp on palate but need more flavor out of this one.