Tag Archives: india pale ale

(BRAU BROTHERS) SHEEP HEAD ALE

Aspiring to be an ultra-bitter hop head delight, deviously deceptive strong ale (with stylishly tame 7.7% ABV) ‘straddles the line between a malty amber and a tongue-bruising IPA.’ Relying just as much on ripe stone-fruited sweetness, toasted caramel malting and peated whiskey licks as the India Pale Ale-defined piney citrus Cascade hop bittering, exaggerated medium-full body needs to eliminate some aspirin-like acidity at the juicy fruit-spiced finish so that the orange-bruised grapefruit zest enveloping its red cherry, peach and nectarine tang (as well as ancillary honeyed cantaloupe sweetness) gains brighter distinction.

Sheephead Ale

LUCID FOTO

One step beyond Lucid Dyno’s 5.2% ABV (weighing in at 6.5%) and featuring a darker amber hue and sharper citric fruiting, off-dry India Pale Ale caresses dainty floral bouquet with lemon-perfumed navel orange, yellow grapefruit, pineapple, mango and tangerine tang. Toasted caramel malting plus sugary pecan-praline-vanilla conflux sweeten light spruce tones. A beautifully designed and crisply clean-watered medium body striking a balance between sessionable midrange and hop-headed delirium.

THREE NOTCH’D 40 MILE IPA

Remarkably resilient West Coast-styled medium-full body bursts forth with tropical fruited juiciness while evergreen-fresh pine hop bittering and herbal restraint contrast honey-roasted biscuit malting. Sweet-spiced floral bouquet decorates spectral grapefruit, orange, mango, nectarine, honeydew, pineapple, peach, tangerine and papaya tang. Perfect in the can and even fresher, fruitier and friskier on tap at Virginia Craft Brewers Fest.

Three Notch'd 40 Mile IPA Beer