It’s been a busy day, mostly running errands around town with my son. After getting back home, unloading the groceries, and cutting up a watermelon, I figured I’d crack open a beer before we head over to my in-laws for dinner tonight. This beer was sent to me earlier this year by my friend Betty who lives in Portland. She sent me several beers from Pelican Brewing. The bottle says, “To celebrate the oft-rainy Pacific Northwest, we’ve brewed a New-World India Pale Ales featuring exotic Ella hops loaded with aromas of kiwi and passionfruit. These fresh and zippy hops are nicely balanced by a clean pale malt character. We’ve liberally dry hopped Umbrella to add to its distinct and complex flavor. Enjoyable anytime, rain or shine. Go ahead—grab an Umbrella and let it pour. “
Location: Poured into a TEKU pint glass from the bottle at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 7.4% ABV, 60 IBUs, 15° Plato, ~230 Calories
Ingredients: Australian-grown Ella hops, Magnum hops, two-row malt, Gold Pils Vienna malt, white cane sugar, pure local water, pure ale yeast
Appearance & Aroma: It’s a very bright yellow-gold color and very clear. It has a bubbly bright white head that faded quickly to a ring around the edge of the glass. It has a piney-grassy hop aroma.
Taste & Feel: The body is light medium and it has a crisp mouthfeel from the hops and carbonation. It has kind of a sweet grassy hop flavor up front, with a light malty sweetness that picks up a bit in the middle – surpassing the bitterness slightly. The finish is a mix of grassy piney hop flavor and bitterness, and the aftertaste is a bit more bitter.
Food Pairing: It’s a lighter beer with grassy-piney hops, so when pairing this with food, I’d contrast it with something robust like a burger or mushrooms.
Overall Impression: This was a light, crisp, very drinkable summer IPA that would be refreshing on a hot day. It had a great mix of both hop flavor and bitterness, fluxuating back and forth throughout each drink. It went down quickly and easily, and it’s definitely an IPA I’d look to have on a sunny day out under the umbrella on the deck or patio.
My Rating: 
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