Reserved draught-only reintroduction to New Jersey market, via 2013, takes soothing approach. Perfume-musked pine oils and grassy hops merge with zippy citric sparkle. Serene grapefruit-peeled lemon juicing careens off black currant bittering.
On tap at Taphouse Grille, elusive Anglo-American IPA (a.k.a. Horn of the Devil) brings musky dry-hopped mulled wine pungency to wayward lemon-curried grapefruit-orange rind bittering. Molasses-breaded honey tea sweetness fades in the background. In the bottle, Canadian-bred semi-hybrid combines English IPA-like dewy peat sweetness and earthen truffle shuffle with dried-fruited brown chocolate spicing of a weizenbock and toasted caramel malting of a red ale, leaving any citric-pined IPA flavoring in the dust.
Even-keeled medium body stays milder than bold stylistic competition. Easygoing fruited malt sweetness lies atop rye-toasted wheat bed of hesitant English IPA. Resinous grassy hops shelter citric crisping.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, easygoing moderation (now brewed at Otter Creek) offers serene red-yellow-orange fruiting to mild grassy hop spicing and biscuit-y pale malting. Light piney citric fruiting much closer to an American IPA than ill-defined earthen grained British styling. Subdued yellow grapefruit peel, orange zest, tangerine and peach illusions stay soft-focus. Nice crossover for lighter thirsts.
On tap at NJ Beer Expo ’13, ultra-dry West Coast-styled IPA (gypsy brewed at Cooperstown Brewery) loads parched wood and bark atop pungent citrus fruiting. Juniper-like hop bittering nearly overwhelms grapefruit rind, orange peel, pineapple and peach illusions.
Even keeled IPA never allows stylishly justified piney fruited bittering to outmuscle caramel-toasted honeyed wheat sweetness. Hard-hitting hopheads may be upset, but others will enjoy less embittered profile. Behind brisk grapefruit peel overtones lie sugar-spiced peach, orange, tangerine and lemon illusions. Dark floral perfumed hops reinforce fresh-watered citric effervescence.
Spirited fruit-juiced front end picks up piney dry-hopped bittering, tart lemon-rotted souring and mild floral perfuming. Ripe apple, pear, peach, grapefruit, mango, kiwi, apricot and orange tang spreads rapidly across musty Czech pils-like malt bill. Lively Northwest IPA re-creates West Coast tropical forestry well.
