On tap at Ambulance, dry ‘Imperial’ combines Old Style West Coast IPA’s desiccated orange oiling and piney hop resin with musky English-styled IPA’s dank herbal pungency, rustic brown-leafed astringency and raw honeyed bittering for murkily defined whimsicality.
Debuting in 2023, strong Citra hopped pale ale (8.5% ABV) is a bolder Zombie Dust offshoot retaining lush tropical fruiting but only a modicum of original’s honey roasted barley crisping. Bittersweet orange-peeled yellow grapefruit zesting gains lacquered pine insistence and mild black peppered herbage as creamy vanilla froth girds plush orange marmalade, pineapple cake, lemon candy, mango and tangerine insistence fueled by crystalline ethyl alcohol esters.
Abrupt medium-roast coffee bittering contrasted by milk-sugared caramel creaming and mild charred nuttiness above dewily peated Scottish malting. Black coffee finish picks up slightest vanilla, cacao nibs and molasses snips to serenade its rich mocha resolve. Recommended.
Desiccated orange, dry lemongrass and tart plantain depart from bubblegummy banana-clove sugaring upfront. Its sourdough bottom holds up and a dry rum snip softly serenades, but sweet hefe fans will be miffed.
On tap at Taphouse 15, despite mass acclaim, intensely bitter and brusquely dry Imperial IPA’s somewhat harsh aggression seems off-putting. Musky orange-oiled grapefruit pith bittering gains fungi musting and tannic blackcurrant phenols.
On tap at Taphouse 15, bright grapefruit-peeled orange zesting and ancillary mango-guava-pineapple tropicalia pick up floral-perfumed spicing, mild grassy herbage and brisk pine tones above honeyed pale malting of lively hazy yellowed West Coast IPA.
On tap at Ambulance, supposedly “enigmatic” soft-toned dry body retains juicier citrus bittering and danker pine resin than usual IPA’s – but not as dramatically as advertised. Zesty yellow grapefruit and orange pith bittering contrasted by less profound lemon-candied peach, tangerine and pineapple tang.
On tap at Andy’s Corner Bar, creamily lactose milk-sugared vanilla sweetness provides sturdy foundation for grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering, ancillary mango-tangerine-orange tang, resinous pine dankness and spicy floral dash of NEIPA/Milkshake-inspired medium body.
On tap at Ambulance, lemon-fizzed sour cherry pucker sustains sharpness as mild lime-salted acidity and vinous oak tannins prop up sour edge of dryer than expected Flemish red ale.
On tap at Draught Industries, boldly complex (10.5% ABV) Imperial IPA resonates with moderately embittered lemony orange-peeled grapefruit pith zesting bursting forth ahead of candied pineapple tartness, peachy nectar perk and mild mango-guava-tangerine conflux. Despite boozy alcohol percentage, tropical fruit juicing, dank piney hop oiling and delicate floral sweetness maintain impeccable balance above honey-spiced crystal malts.
On tap at Ambulance, fine hop-forward golden hazed IPA drapes floral-bound yellow grapefruit tang and zesty orange rind bittering across dank pine resin and mild juniper pungency. Juicy citrus fruiting gains ancillary mango-pineapple-peach illusions sweetened by spiced pale malts.
