I sometimes feel like I’m betraying the craft beer cognoscenti when I refer to an IPA as "straightforward". Aren’t I meant to list off the 24 fruits (and the ripeness of each), baked goods and spices that I can detect?
My treason is surely greater still when the brewery itself is good enough to tell me the multiple hop varieties they used – in this case, Chinook, Centennial, Strata and Comet. Shouldn’t I rave about the passionfruit and dank complexity Strata adds to the beer, or Comet’s zesty personality?
Crisp pine.
That’s what I’m getting in this straightforward West Coast IPA. Beautiful, dry, crisp pine without a hint of sweetness. Old school US hop character with some new school balance and sensibility (read: it’s neither syrupy nor face-punchingly bitter). There’s enough body to signify this isn’t a session beer, but damn it’s still easy to knock it back. This is a wonderful, straightforward IPA.
Sorry, cognoscenti. You’re welcome, everyone else.
Mick Wust
