971. Rockwell Beer Co. – Velour Tracksuit IPA

Posted By kkozlen on Oct 19, 2021 | 0 comments

It’s been a while since I’ve taken the time to sit down and really sip on a beer. I started a new job about three months ago, so it’s taken a while to get into the swing of things. A few weeks ago, I went down to St. Louis to visit my dad, and help my cousin move into his dorm at Washington University. After we moved him in, we picked up Pappy’s BBQ for lunch and stopped by Rockwell for a beer, and to see my fraternity brother who’s the brewmaster there. I got a chance to pop in back and chat with him for a bit while they were canning this beer. He pulled a couple of the line for me. I enjoyed one while we were chatting and saved this one till today.

Location: Poured from the 16oz can into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.

Numbers: 7.7% ABV, ~220 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s a pale-golden color with a bit of haze to it. It had an inch-thick, rocky white head that fell to a ring around the edge of the glass after a few minutes. It has a lemony, lightly grassy hop aroma to it with hints of dankness.

Taste & Feel: The body is medium and the mouthfeel is crisp with a bit of a bite from the hops, followed by a bit of oiliness from the hop oils. The flavor up front is citrusy-juiciness, that’s a bit like an orange, with some malty sweetness behind it. It flows smoothly into the middle where the hop flavors become a bit more lemon-grass-like. It has a pretty crisp and dry finish with a bit sharper lemon and grassy hoppiness. The lemony-cistrusy bitterness lasts for a minute or two in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: With the citrusy-lemony hop flavors in this beer, it’s begging to be paired with fish tacos. If not fish, shrimp tacos.

Overall Impression: This was the perfect beer to enjoy in the heat of the August afternoon while talking with my fraternity brother watching the cans go by. With the citrusy hop flavors and crispness of this beer, it was easy drinking and surprisingly refreshing for an IPA. With as easy as it goes down, you’d never guess that it was 7.7% ABV. This is an excellent, crushable IPA, and if you get a chance to stop by Rockwell while in St. Louis, definitely do so.

My Rating: