May 15, 2012

Tasting: Playoffs IPA

I brewed this about a month ago as my beer for the NBA playoffs. It totally does what I want it to do and I think I'm going to need to get another batch of this into the fermenter soon because this one isn't going to last long.

It weighed in at 6.5% abv.


Glass full of IPA happiness


Aroma: Citrus, mango, floral and perfume aromas. It's big and hoppy and definitely inviting. There's a malty or honey sweetness to the aroma too.

Appearance: Light orange, I love that colour in a Pale Ale/IPA. There's a bit of haze that ideally wouldn't be there and a decent head that sticks around for quite a while and leaves its mark down the glass.

Flavour: The big citrus, fruit and perfume carry over from the aroma to the flavour with some rye and malt peeking out from behind it. Maybe also a herbal thing going on there too? There's a lingering, resiny bitterness that helps give this beer a bit of character and makes it a pretty complete package. Without it I think it would be a bit too cuddly and aromatic for its own good.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and low-medium carbonation. It should carbonate a little more as it's only been in the bottle for a couple of weeks but even now it's got a decent mouthfeel. It's just nicely dry, pretty much exactly what I like in an IPA. The bitterness isn't out of control but definitely leaves its mark on the tongue and helps the dry perception.

Overall: The hops are so inviting and the flavour is just right, smooth and fruity but the rye and bitterness give it a little kick that lingers pleasantly and then calls for more. It's dangerously drinkable. I wasn't very satisfied with my Galaxy Pale and in general my Pales and IPAs have been a bit one dimensional, lots of hops and not much else. This beer has no shortage of hops but also carries enough malt flavour to make it a more complete beer. It makes me feel like I'm back in Seattle again. I'll be interested to see how this one turns out next time with hops that are more fresh and with some attention paid to the water chemistry.

Now, back to this LAL-OKC game...

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