Wingman Ace IPA

Brewed by Wingman Brewers
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Tacoma, Washington USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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UPDATED: MAY 10, 2013 Superb West Coast IPA. Cloudy copper pour with a white head, giving off grapefruit hop aroma. Taste is grapefruit hops all the way, with some sweetness. Bitter-forward, but not crazily so -- a complex IPA that rewards a discerning drinker. Substantial and robust mouthfeel with a good malt foundation that yields the spotlight to the hops. Lingering bitterness. This is what West Coast "hop bombs" should aspire to; recommended! ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Can:   Amber, a little dark and fiery, moderate white head, foamy, nice lacing.   Nice citrusy and tropical fruit nose.   On the sweeter side, certianly not astringent or biting.   Very smooth on the tongue, sweet citrus and tropical fruit notes.   I am really impressed with this one.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate.   Some slight sweet pith and citrus peel on the backside.   Very clean, not terribly bitter, all white remaining very flavorful.   After having that busted Porter, this was really refreshing!   If you want a hop bomb, this is not it.   However, it is very flavorful.

Can. Pours a translucent copper-red with a foamy off-white head. Aroma is mild, with distinct herbal notes. Flavor is a bit of semi-sweet candy malt underneath a healthy dose of floral, slightly piney hops. Some lingering spiciness on the palate. Smooth, not palate-wreckingly bitter. This actually has a unique profile, both in aroma and flavor. The Belgian malt coupled with Citra, Cascade, and Centennial hops yields something akin to a Belgian-IPA without the overbearing Belgian yeast flavor those often have. A not-at-all typical NW IPA, and I really like it...at least on my first exposure.

On tap at the brewery: The head’s the first thing you notice: a marshmallowy, creamy head not normally seen on an IPA. The taste intrigues just as much. It’s a mix of Belgian ale tastes and traditional IPA taste, with western bitters and Belgian fruit and cloves. I ask one of the owners about it and he said they used Belgian malts to give it that taste. Really pleasing and intriguing. The inclusion of that malt gives it a more rounded, full flavor. Great stuff from a brewery about 11 months old.

Hazy amber-orange with a decent head. Curiously fruity nose. Full-bodied. Smooth texture is a plus, but it’s slightly cloying in the finish. In general, it’s more malt forward than I expected. Big notes of toasted bread, biscuits and sweet, rising bread dough. Hops are citrusy (grapefruit) and jammy, with lesser notes of pine, earth and sweet grass. Has a distinct Belgian IPA quality, as if it were brewed with Belgian yeast (I don’t know if it was or not). Overall, it’s a very fruity and "round" IPA with uncommon albeit interesting flavors and aromas. When they first started popping up years back, I loved "Belgian IPAs." But for one reason or another, I quickly grew tired of them. So that’s the only thing I don’t like about this beer, and it’s a personal preference. Other than that, I think it’s a solid beer.

16 oz can. Pours reddish light amber with thick foamy head. Aroma is faint floral hops with some weird off notes. Taste is malt-forward for an IPA, with strong bready malts and unexpected Belgianish floral spice notes. Grapefruit and pine hop notes are present but definitely in the background. Kinda an odd beer, tasty nonetheless.

16oz can pours amber/red color with creamy off white homebrew style head with amazing lacing. Smells of pine , orange,grapefruit, and caramel. Tastes the same as it smells. Mouthfeel is heavy and creamy with very active carbonation and a semi dry finish. This is a very well crafted ipa but could use slight improving to push it to a great level.

16-oz can. Pours a murky medium amber with a gigantic dense and creamy tan head. Stringy lace here and there. Looks magnificent. Mild sweet lettuce-y nose. OK, already...I realize it’s a tough year for hops, but IPAs are really not supposed to smell like iceberg lettuce, even if it does happen to be spanking fresh iceberg straight out of a chilly wash. It’s crisp and sweet and all, but it’s more on the savory salad side and even at that it’s not too deep into the good part of the salad side of the plate. Maybe they will bump up to a more dimensional and complex hop when yields go up again next year to meet demand. Anyway, the beer--it smells OK, but it’s neither on the fruity nor the piney side. Creamy body on the high side of medium, with soft carb. Caramel and toast happening, and here’s where the hop profile could really bolster the beer. The malts have a fair bit to do with the flavor profile, appropriately so. But the hops just aren’t going blow for blow with them the way this is set up. It’s a nice beer but it needs a bit more power.

473ml can pours a brownish amber color with a huge white head that retains well and leaves some nice lacing on the glass. Aroma is light caramel with some earthy and pine notes. Taste is an earthy and citrusy hop bitterness with an underlying caramel malty sweetness. Medium body with adequate carbonation leaving a nice tickle on the palate. A high quality IPA that is nicely balanced and highly recommended.

Nose of belgian yeast esters, fruity, toasted malts, some caramel, citrus floral and peppery hops but somewhat light. Amber pour, decent head and lace. Flavors of sweet bubblegummy yeast, toasted malts, pepper, citrus, and floral hops in the finish. Somewhat restrained. Nice carbonation, good drinkabiity. Would prefer a little more assertiveness as the belgian aspect dominates in my opinion.