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.
On tap at Coalhouse Pizza, rigid piney hop pungency and minor alcohol burn embitter prevalent citric fruiting. Up-front orange-peeled grapefruit rind and lemon zest brighten brisk medium body. But tangy pineapple, nectarine and apple subsidy and polite toasted grain malting more common amongst less aggressive pale ales.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, overly modest citric-hopped bittering remains too mild and murky for stylistic profile. Muted lemon-rotted grapefruit peel entry picks up resinous dry wood tone and wafting perfume tinge above soft wheat-honeyed crystal malting. Slick mediocrity lacks firm body.
Starting as a strong pale ale in its original formulation, newly tweaked 2012 IPA version gets a dry-hopped uplift and bitterer citric presence. Crisply floral herbaceous fruiting given less inviting cardboard-like biscuit malting. Bitter Cascade-hopped grapefruit peel and orange rind astringency contrasts tangy tangerine, peach, pear and pineapple supplement. Slight iodine-like alcohol burn and pungent metallic char singe the bright citric finish.
