Location: Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass from the bottle at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 6% ABV, 70 IBUs, 14 OG/Plato, 3.5 FG/Plato, 180 Calories
Ingredients: Malt: Two-row, Caramel, Biscuit, Mild Ale, Vienna; Hops: Zeus
Appearance & Aroma: It’s slightly hazy and golden yellow in color. There appears to be a good amount of carbonation in it, contributing to a finger-thick, creamy-white, foamy head. It’s also got a grassy-pine like hop aroma.
Taste & Feel: It’s got a light-medium body and crisp mouthfeel. There’s a bready, slightly honey-like flavor up front, before the bitterness quickly kicks in, with a bit of a sharp citrusy-piney hop bitterness. The finish is fairly bitter with a slightly harsh earthy-piney bitterness, and the aftertaste is bitter with a spicy earthy bitterness that sticks around for a bit.
Food Pairing: Given the wide mix of bitter hop flavors, I’d pair this with something like a big, thick juicy burger or steak. A hearty meal like this could stand up to the bitterness in this beer and could bring out a bit of the breadiness that’s up front and in the background.
Overall Impression: It had a nice little dose of maltiness up front, but the hop bitterness kicked in awfully quickly. I thought it was a good beer, but the hops had a bit harsh bitterness, as if it had a lot of early-boil hops. Maybe the hop flavors (and less harsh bitterness) could be softened and more enjoyable with later addition hops. Overall, it was a good IPA that I’m glad I was able to try.
My Rating: 
