Expressive entourage of juicy tropical fruits befits medium-to-full-bodied West Coast IPA. Not as briskly conformist as most stylish competitors, its softened hop bittering never undoes grapefruit-peeled pineapple, peach, cherry and quince medley or ascending floral potpourri. Chewy caramel malt backbone heightens bright fruitiness. Slight alcohol burn at sharp citric finish lingers.
Easygoing Classic English India Pale Ale much darker and earthier than citric-pined West Coast style. Amiable brown-tanned medium body drapes peat mossy Fuggle hops atop cocoa-seeded chocolate malting and light iced tea sugaring. Ashen nuttiness, wet tobacco leafing and tart cherry tease supplement ancillary Cascadian dark ale tendencies. On tap, dried prune, fig and date illusions fill out bark-dried oaken cedar timbering.
Despite generic white-labeled bottle, well-rounded medium body boasts an abundance of flavors. Mild grassy hopped bittering, wafting floral bouquet, and earthen wood-dried resin glazed by tropical grapefruit-peeled pineapple, peach, honeydew, strawberry and pear fruiting as well as citric clementine, naval orange, mandarin orange and tangerine tang. Honeyed toffee malts settle below to further sweeten abundant up-front fruited confluence. Hopheads unite for Pliny The Elder’s East Coast rival.
Acute alcohol burn embeds commencing lemon-peeled orange rind bitterness of invigorating gold-paled medium-to-full body. Tangy yellow grapefruit, mango, peach, pineapple and tangerine tropicalia gains prominence, as does sharply counteractive juniper berry bite. Zesty passion fruit sprinkled through tongue-tingling salt peppered carbolic fizz. Less piney than dryer West Coast-styled India Pale Ales, though some wood remnants underscore fruited frolic.
Approachable medium-bodied hop-headed 2011 autumn seasonal never overdoes resinous ‘wet-hopped’ bittering. Toasted nut-grains reinforce sugar-candied peach, pear, orange and tangerine tang above grassy hop freshness. Sugary caramelized apple waver and minimal marzipan sweetness settle beside delightful floral-spiced citric ensemble.
On tap, relaxing 2011 India Pale Ale brings casual fruited splendor to woody-hopped pine resin. Moderate grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering contrasts sweet peach, pear, and apple fruiting above leathery alfalfa, horsehair, hay, and barnyard desiccation. On tap 2015 at Mahwah Bar & Grill: tangy pineapple-mango tropicalia and light pine lacquered hop astringency found beneath bittersweet citrus punctuality. Disclaimer: brewer has used generic Smuttynose IPA handle for bottled version of this ‘finest kind,’ bud.
Wondrously zesty tropical-fruited opulence rides above pronounced hop bittering of bright, lively stylistic fave. Illuminating floral-daubed cantaloupe, melon, pineapple, peach, orange, grapefruit and apricot tones glaze sugary crystal malting. A vibrant crossover not strictly for hopheads.
Indistinct 2011 collaboration between Stone, Japanese brewer Baird, and Guam brewmaster Toshi Ishii promotes Tsunami relief but lacks firm theme. Heavy yeast sediment clouds amber-hazed dry body. Advertised green tea influence lost between bitterly lemon-seeded Aramis hop dryness and honeyed ginger sweetness, recalling earthen herbal crisping and tea-leafed bittering of an English ESB by forgoing expectant citric-fruited tenacity of typical American IPA. Tertiary pineapple, grapefruit, and peach illusions merely warble across dark-spiced nicety. Not bad, but inessential.
Enjoyable wheat-wined IPA proffers lemony peach, pineapple, kiwi and papaya brightness to contrast ascending woody hop-roasted bittering. Wafting floral respite grazes juicy-fruited zest. Creamy caramel malting further sweetens honeyed wheat back end.
Admirable amber-golden dry body with billowy beige head and herbaceous farmhouse waft picks up sharp floral-hopped grapefruit peel bittering atop apricot, apple and orange tang. Soft crystal malt creaming fluffs citric nuances, but rough alcohol burn and arid wood parching beckon.
On tap at Andy’s Corner Bar, wood-lacquered English-styled India Pale Ale (known as Hop Project #2) retains tart grapefruit-peeled acridity, earthen bark-dried desiccation, and strong alcohol burn. Milled oats graze alcohol-burnt yellow fruiting and tobacco-leafed dark floral nuance. Minor beechwood smoking detected in far distance.
