Jai Alai IPA - Cigar City Brewing

Treyliff

West Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A- pours a murky dull orange color with a two-finger creamy white head with good retention and some lace. Floaters swimming all around the glass.

S- pungent oily hops, some spicy notes, grassy and leafy, citrus rind, just a bit if malt. Complex, aroma punch to the nose.

T- hops are just as pungent in taste, grassy with tobacco leaf, some tropical fruit mid-palate followed by just enough biscuity malt to balance it out. The finish is dry and provides some pineapple with a long leafy-hop linger

M- medium body and carbonation, mouthfeel is just a bit foamy with a smooth finish. ABV is hidden well.

O- this is borderline DIPA, the hops certainly dominate. I really enjoy the leafy-hop notes and the clean finish. Solid IPA

Serving type: can

03-09-2013 01:45:35 | More by Treyliff

MCain04

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

One of 18 beers from bostonryan on a stopover in Chicago. Cheers to you, good brother. No date on this 12 oz can, but Ryan picked it up a week ago so here's hoping it's fresh. Poured into a 12 oz Tulip glass.

A: Orange amber and fairly clear with 1 finger of cream/white head. Good retention and lacing.

S: Somewhat subdued, but I can make out citrus, mango, orange, guava, and floral notes, with a sweet malt smell lingering as well.

T: Surprisingly bitter, with aggressive bittering hops clearly added. Less flavoring hops, but I can make out some citrus hop flavor, and a considerable malt backbone lending sweetness to the beer that lingers.

M: Crisp, full-bodied, dry, moderate carbonation, drinks almost like a DIPA, close to perfect.

O: This is about as close to a DIPA as you can get without being one. Lots of malt and body, almost enough hops to make it excellent. Still enjoying this immensely, but this could be close to perfect with more hops to lend to the aroma and flavor. I compare this to Lagunitas Sucks - both have impressive malt backgrounds and similar ABVs and mouthfeels, but Sucks is just better hopped. Again, still really enjoyed this, just not in my top 5.

Serving type: can

03-07-2013 03:50:28 | More by MCain04

JackMcAwesome

Florida

4.2/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a can into a pint glass.

Appearance: A hazy gold, with a one finger head that diminishes but never leaves. Lacing throughout the drinking process.

Smell: Really powerful smells that stay. I'm picking up many citrus tones, the most prominent being grapefruit.

Taste: Just like the smell, the taste of citrus is very prominent, but not grapefruit. Thank god. Maybe guava? The hops are present, but not overbearing, the perfect balance.

Feel: Light to medium carbonation, but also very well balanced. Easy to drink and joy. Glad I picked up the full six pack, and not a mix-six.

Overall: I'll admit, I'm just getting into the IPAs, but this was a good start. It makes me definitely want to seek out more. I've had a couple of others, and I'd rank this one above them. It's light feeling, fresh, and the smell and taste stay throughout the entire process. When I'm in the mood to revisit, this one will definitely be on my mind.

Serving type: can

03-06-2013 22:08:38 | More by JackMcAwesome

Jake_Ramrod

Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a can into a pint glass at Chez Henahan - my house.

A: Pours a beautiful copper color with about a one inch creamy looking head. An initial rush of carbonation that quickly subsided. Just a little lacing down the sides of the glass. Fairly hazy appearance.

S: Wonderful citrus notes up front with a caramel undertone. Hints of tangerine and orange. A pleasurable mix of tangy and sweet all at once. The smell is pulling me in.

T: Right off the bat, it tastes quite different than most of the IPAs I've had lately - but in a good way. This is a very easy to drink IPA. There is certainly some underlying bitterness to it, but it isn't in the forefront of the flavor. Very well balanced beer. The caramel really mellows out the acidity of the hops and lends itself to a sessionable experience. Your sure can't tell it's 7.5% alcohol. IMO, it is skirting the edge of being an IPA and a Pale Ale.

M: The beer comes across as light in the mouth, yet still has enough range to be noticable after it is gone. Again, an all-around easy to drink beer.

O: This is the kind of beer that can elicit alot of different reviews because nothing about it is very pronounced. It is a very well balanced beer that does a superb job of melding its parts harmoniously. Yet, nothing really stands out about it either. Overall, I really like this beer because it is a breath of fresh air in the craft beer scene where IPAs tend to try to "out-hop" each other. I can imagine sitting back and rolling through a sixer of these on a beautfiul spring afternoon. This is my kind of beer.

Serving type: can

03-06-2013 01:45:19 | More by Jake_Ramrod

BWED

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. can purchased at the Craft Beer Outlet in Philly.
Poured into a tulip.

A- Clear, golden-burnt orange, with a light and fizzy one finger head. Off-white in color and retains fairly well, with the lacing sliding slowly back into the beer.

S- Nose stinging of floral and citrus notes, with a sweet malt undertone.

T- Malty, almost a caramel off the bat, but with a bitter punch of citrus and a complementary earthy hop mellowness.

M- Unbelievably not bitter, light carbonation, on a medium light body. The finish brings a mellow bitter dryness, only beckoning in more beer!

O- I thought this was fantastic. I noticed some reviewers saying this was more a pale ale than an IPA, but I think not. It is highly hopped like any other IPA, but it is so mellow. Who ever said IPAs had to be highly bitter? I look forward to the next time I drink this beer.

Serving type: can

02-27-2013 03:33:00 | More by BWED

Blais

2.45/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

this is nothing special its just average hardly any hop flavor no fruits characters
could barely taste the hops should be labeled a pale ale not a IPA
it was like drinking bitter water, with no fruit flavors as you get in a good IPA like Pliny or hopslam
nothing special i won't have a 2nd i will stick to good beer its not brewed in florida

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2013 17:31:45 | More by Blais

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.3/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

have to thank my mom for this one, best fedex package ever! thanks mom. poured a rich coppery red color from the can, with sudsy off white foam that lasts forever. sticky and sweet is the nose, sappy, resinous, and fresh. the hops are very woody, pine-like, but maybe not so aromatic as some of the more spruce heavy IPAs. mid round caramel malt body underneath all the hops. the flavor of this one is huge, super fresh, and unique in the sense that its got a very foresty feel to it, and some mineral richness that are both uncommon for the style. not that location matters, but this feels more like a Canadian beer to me than one made in florida. its got the real sturdy bearded sort of fortuity that I just don't associate mentally with the sunshine state. this is super impressive. big creamy feel that keeps the foam going in the mouth but doesn't get heavy. its sort of soapy in feel, but not in taste obviously. bitterness in the finish isn't very intense at all, almost tranquilizing really, and the alcohol is invisible. I could not have asked for a better sixpack for cold weather drinking on the Furthur lot this weekend. truly one of the few beers that lives up to the hype, this is a gem.

Serving type: can

02-24-2013 20:39:45 | More by StonedTrippin

ELS

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was surprisingly impressed by this IPA. Living in Florida I've had total access to CCB's line up of beers. I have to say that I don't love them all but Jai Alai Is my kind of IPA. The color is very golden and pure. The aroma is a terrific citrus smell with the familiar pine presence as well. The taste follows the nose with a up front citrus presence followed by the hops to back it up. Just the right amount of hops without getting out of control but enough to keep the hop heads happy. Excellent balance with the 7% abv completely hidden and all you can think about is popping another beer. Overall this is an excellent IPA and is now part of my regular rotation. I only wish it were a little less expensive.

Serving type: can

02-24-2013 03:26:34 | More by ELS

Dirte1096

Pennsylvania

3.76/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz can canned on 01/15/2013 poured into a Duvel tulip.

A - Extremely hazy, amber in color. 2-finger slightly-off white head of tight little bubbles. Not much carbonation. I don't know if this is bottle conditioned, but there's a ton of hop/yeast particles floating around in this one.

S - Smells good. You get a strong dose of those melon hops, some tropical fruits, and a touch of grapefruit.

T - Extremely true to the nose. Very melony (if that's a word)...like honeydew. Some tropical fruits follow like mango, but the honeydew qualities are what shine. A slight sweet malt profile, but hardly noticeable.

M - This is probably the beer's strength. Medium bodied and creamy. It has a thick, oily feeling to it that I love in bigger beers with more flavor than this. Honestly, for this particular beer more carbonation would benefit it alot.

O - It is a pretty good IPA. Maybe it's the fact that people down in Florida don't have many good craft breweries to choose from, but I think this beer is a bit overrated. After having this for the first time it wasn't one of those beers that I had to tell my friends about or something that I would seek out to share with a fellow beer geek. When I think of the single IPA's that made me want to share them with everybody I know (Alpine Nelson, Fat Head, Kern River Just Outstanding) it just doesn't fall into that same category...it's somewhere in the second tier. It's a good IPA, but there are tons of good IPA's out there...so don't go out of your way to find this, but definitely try it if it's readily available to you.

Serving type: can

02-22-2013 21:24:38 | More by Dirte1096

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

4.55/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a 12oz can into a pint glass.

A- Pours a rich copper leaning slightly towards a light amber with a fat fluffy two finger white head. A bit hazy with some sediment and plenty of white lacing left along the sides of the glass. Nice head retention:!

S- Hoppy with Very strong notes of tropical fruit the most prominent of which is mango. There are also some notes of papaya and pineapple as well.

T- unlike most IPA's with a pronounced character, this is less of a hop bomb or a malt bomb, and more of a fruit bomb (granted the fruit flavors come from the hops of course, so I guess It could be argued that this is a "hop bomb", although it shares next to zero characteristics of what most would consider to BE a hop bomb) Strong taste of hops giving off the flavors of tropical fruits. Strong Mango notes just like in the smell and strong papaya notes as well. The malts are well masked by the sweetness of the tropical fruit flavor and only come out just slightly. The finish has some nice grapefruit notes in it.

M- Medium bodied with decent carbonation. Very smooth, this IPA goes down just like water!

O- Some of the strongest mango notes I've ever tasted from hops are in this beer. Absolutely Delicious. I am going to annihilate this sixer.

Serving type: can

02-22-2013 04:49:20 | More by Zachtheporter

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

4.01/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz can, canned on Jan 15 2013.

A: a lot of sediment pours with this brilliant orange hued brew. head is frothy and bright white. retention is limited. as is the spotted lacing.

S: floral. rich pine aroma. bowl of grapefruit and a lot of melon. in conclusion, it smells hoppy.

T: flavor starts rich in American hop flavor. guava and melon focused. finish is certainly bitter. and chalky.

M: moderate amount of carb on a medium body.

D: I was hoping to be a little more blown away here. certainly a good AIPA, but cant say that I am blown. maybe I had too high of expectations....anyway, like I said nothing bad, just nothing mind blowing.

Serving type: can

02-22-2013 02:38:18 | More by Jimmys

Florida_SC_Trojan

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A great year round IPA by Cigar City, you can only get this beer in can or on tap. Cigar City has halted bottling this beer. A fruit bomb IPA that has a beautiful golden hazy color with a nice two finger head. Hoppy and sweet with a nice dry finish. This is truly one of Florida's great beers that the rest of the United States needs to discover. They are starting to brew some great beers in Florida.

Serving type: can

02-19-2013 21:39:54 | More by Florida_SC_Trojan

obrike

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Well looky here...

On my way to Puerto Rico for a business trip...took Jet Blue into Ft Lauderdale and had about a 3 hour layover. Stopped into The Food Network Cafe...not expecting much. Had a pretty decent sandwhich and was about to order a Sam Adams on tap when i looked up above the bar and saw Jai Alai on display...my lucky day.

Server brought me a pint glass for the can. (well...cans...I had three)

Poured a cloudy golden dark orange with a decent, fizzy, white head. Some pronounced lacing along the glass. A good looking IPA for sure.

Getting some fresh citrus and tropical fruit with light fresh hops. The piney hops take a backseat to the fruit.

Sweet citrus and malts hit upfront, with bitterness from the piney hops in the back. The finish is mostly grapefruit. Damn refreshing. Absolutely no alcohol bite here, just a smack in the palate of a damn good IPA. So very easy to drink...but not light. This is just a good, hearty, flavorful "west-coast style" IPA made in Florida. So happy to finally get a chance to try it. Very much wish I could get it in Texas.

Serving type: can

02-16-2013 03:34:10 | More by obrike

05Harley

New Hampshire

4.44/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Canned on 12/11/12
Estimated calories - 225/12oz

Purchased through LetsPour.

Price - $5.00/can

Oh yeah, exactly what you would expect from a quality IPA. Big, thick white head (two fingers high) with lacing to die for. Copper in color with lots of sediment both in suspension and on the bottom of the glass. Mounds of soapy suds sit atop this gem.

Smell is tropical with tangerine, pineapple and orange. Big hops here without holding back. Fairly strong in the nose and leaves very little for the imagination. No surprise here.

Flavor is spot on for the style and a surprise with 2 months of age on it. Holds up well here with fruity characteristics one would expect straight out of the settling tanks. Grapefruit peel, pine apple, pear and caramel malt for some sweetness balance rounds this one out.

Body is medium and feels sticky with low carbonation. Refreshing for a 7.5% beer with a fair amount of bitterness and mild dryness, impressive.

Overall this beer is full of flavor and highly drinkable. From start to finish the beer is a cookie cutter example of the style the way it was meant to be. More please. My biggest hang up here is price but I understand the cost of doing business.

Serving type: can

02-16-2013 00:05:01 | More by 05Harley

Doc_Hops

Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a hazy copper color with some interesting floaties in it. Head is off white and about a quarter of an inch high.

S-Citrus hops in the nose with hints of other fruit, possibly banana and even guava.

T- Great hop punch in the beginning giving way to a little be of carmel-y sweetness. Definitely well balanced and is getting better as it warms up a little bit.

M- Really smooth, medium bodied, and crisp on the palate.

O- Great brew here. It is well balanced and juicy, which I really love. Very drinkable but I can see how this might get dangerous given the fact I could drink 4 or 5 of these very easily.

Serving type- 12oz can gently poured into a pint glass as instructed by the can. Thanks for reading.

Serving type: can

02-14-2013 06:27:29 | More by Doc_Hops

mooseo

Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz can into tulip.

A - Hazy sunset orange with a creamy white head.

S - Tropical fruit, orange citrus, sweet caramel, a touch of pine hops.

T - Orange and grapefruit bitterness hits first, followed by earthy pine and sweet biscuit malt. Good balance throughout. The finish brings in more piney hops, spice, and toasted grains.

M - Creamy and smooth, medium bodied. Average carbonation, slightly dry finish.

O - This is a very solid, flavorful IPA (bordering on a DIPA). Love the big hop presence and balance provided by the bready malt.

Serving type: can

02-11-2013 01:29:26 | More by mooseo

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance is cloudy with sediment of some sort. The color is amber with a smallish head.
Not picking up much aroma wise. Some light hops and malts with no destinct smell.
Taste is vaque. Light hops and malts.
Taste is good, but somewhat harsh, but with a clean finish.
Drinks easy and really isn't that bad but nothing stands out to me, at least according to the many reviews.
Stands up well to all you basic chain restaraunt IPA's - bland

Serving type: can

02-09-2013 12:34:47 | More by micromaniac129

tectactoe

Michigan

4.4/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Finally, some Jai Alai - canned, of course. Pours a nearly copper, light-amber color with mild clarity - just a slight sheet of haze muddles the middle of the brew. Little, tiny, tiny bits of sediment circle around the beer; a cloudy, pillowing white head retains like a beast and leaves chunky-ass lacing along all edges of the glass, like a true champ.

The aroma is... Wow. Brilliant. Big-time fruit on the nose; huge bouts of tropical fruits - mango, papaya, tangerines, peaches, grapefruit, apricot... Smell this shit and tell me I'm wrong, I dare you. Not only do you get this wonderful cornucopia of fruit, you've got a nice bouquet of hops to fill in the edges. Pungent, wet, leafy, with a light, dank, weediness. This is the stuff dreams are made of. And Jai Alai, apparently.

The taste picks up right where the aroma leaves off - a fruit-fileld bitch slap to the tongue, complete with more mangos, pineapples, papayas, and oranges. And I'm talking some juicy-ass fruit, here. The kind that makes your mouth absolutely water. Authentic, ripe, and unadulterated in every sense of the word. Hops come to life even more so on the palate. Wet, pungent, oily, leafy, and I'm picking up some pine, too.

Bitterness is powerfully noticeable but not too sharp or harsh, not even close. It's perfectly balanced by the fruit and by the smaller helping hand of the malt; light bread and faint toasted caramel malts provide an extra "oomph" of sweetness, strictly for balance. It makes for such a soothing, drinkable bitterness. Finish is wet, grassy, juicy, fruity, etc... I could go on all day. Medium mouth feel and a medium-high level of carbonation.

Jai Alai. Blown away. There. I said it. This beer was fantastic, and it was much better than I was anticipating. I mean, I've heard good things about it, but I never thought it would be this good. Alcohol is seemingly absent, and 7.5% ABV isn't anything to scoff at. So goddamn drinkable and so goddamn tasty. Why don't they sell this in Michigan?

Serving type: can

02-08-2013 04:59:26 | More by tectactoe

Wolfpack2005

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks kpanter for hooking me up with this FL treat. Canned 7 Nov 12

A- Poured from a can into my DFH snifter. A nice deep orangish/amber with a 1 finger head that fades fast. Very hazy with bits of sediment floating around.

S-Has a very distinct fruity aroma of mangos and pineapples that is quite pleasing. There is also a bready/yeast scent that blend well with the fruits. The only reason that I scored it so low was the aromas where muted, they didn't jump out at me like I prefer with an IPA.

T-Upfront I get a spicy bitterness then SWEET caramel malts with small hints of the tropical fruit that was in the nose. Then a piney bitterness as the beer goes down.

M-Heavy and syrupy with moderate levels of carbonation.

O-Not a bad IPA, I can see the allure. I just prefer my IPA's lighter with crisper flavors. This was canned 3 months ago, but this was the last out of the 6er and the first one I had a month ago, I felt the same way about.

Serving type: can

02-07-2013 02:57:06 | More by Wolfpack2005

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Canned 12/27/2012. Poured from a 12oz can into a perfect pint glass. I poured it sort of hard, and did not see the label on the can suggesting a gentle pour until it was too late. Oh well. I have another can so if this doesn't work out or whatever, I have another shot at it.

Jai Alai looks decent enough. Very orange/gold/yellow in color, big white head to start, lacing as it recedes. Tons of floating particles (guessing from the rather aggressive pour.

Smell is just OK. No brilliant fruity aroma I expected as I cracked the can. It does have a unique floral/mango pineapple smell to it that I've never experienced, but it also smells a bit sour if that makes any sense. Not bad, just not amazing. Not everything can be.

Flavors are super unique as well. I get that floral fruit combo sorta present in the smell, but more in the taste. Again, not amazing, but good. Mango pineapple apple, less citrus but some. Pretty interesting flavor profile here. Suppose there is some malt in there as well.

Feel is incredibly balanced, for what this is overall. It's smooth then bitter, light then heavy and fruity. Medium to light carbonation, not as crisp but certainly contains elements of a decent refreshment.

Overall I give Jai Alai a 4 for the sake of uniqueness. I've had this before, but probably a year ago and on tap, maybe an old bottle too. This is a month old, so. Cheers.

Serving type: can

02-01-2013 04:33:53 | More by rodlavers

Trilogy31

California

3.08/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Canned 12/30/12. Pours a tanned leather with a frothy 3 fingers of rocky foam - nice head and legs. While i am writing this i already know how i want to score this but the "bros" 100 for this beer is amazing to me. As far as i know they havent given us sixes to rate with. This beer is nowhere near heady, pliny, anything by alpine, sucks, columbus ipa and the list goes on. Really, if 100 is perfection its unfair to rate this beer that high but it is a good beer; but i digress. The nose brings caramel malts, lime rind and honestly not much else this is very malt forward and struggle to find any tropical qualities to this beer (i love cigar city and have many of their beers i am just struggling to see why this is rated so high). Mouth brings a slightly herbal twinge, cat piss and some light shades of citrus - beginning to think my less than a month old can is past its prime (this is the second one i opened and both are consistent). Easy to drink much in the same way moretti doppio malto is, overall this is barely above average in my book.

Serving type: can

01-31-2013 05:03:17 | More by Trilogy31

gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.23/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz can into a tulip glass. Acquired in a trade from RayUF07

A- Pours a slightly hazy bright orange body with a thick bubbly off-white head that exhibits high retention and leaves blotchy lacing. Reduces to chunks of white foam.

S- Quite raw. Yeasty and very floral with some citrus and bready notes sitting in the background.

T- Starts off with tropical citrus, lemon-lime notes. Subtle hop presence creates a piney finish. Not too hoppy but definitely flavorful.

M- Medium-high carbonation, medium body. Overall a very solid IPA, refreshing and complex. Recommendable.

Serving type: can

01-31-2013 00:35:54 | More by gcamparone

sebod89

Connecticut

4.54/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank it out of the 12-ounce can. Very first Cigar City beer and I was blown away. Poured a copper to golden color. Drank smooth and had a great citrusy and tropical fruit aroma. Drank it straight out of the can most of the time. This beer has everything you want in an IPA. Has jumped up very fast on my list of IPA's. Great Beer!

Serving type: can

01-30-2013 13:55:58 | More by sebod89

rufustiller

Florida

4.86/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

I hope it's OK if I freestyle here. Everybody else has summed up the basics. I really like this beer and can't believe something this good is available at my local Publix, in a can no less. A true west coast (of Florida) IPA. Super delicious. My wife is on antibiotics right now and it really pisses her off when I squeal like a little girl after each sip cause she can't have any.

Serving type: can

01-29-2013 01:58:49 | More by rufustiller

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Momar42 for the can! 12 oz can poured into a Samuel Smith pint glass.

A: Pours a hazy golden copper color with a lot of sediment floating around. The head is a two finger white color. I love its thick texture, and how it leaves impressive lacing down the glass as it recedes.

S: Right off the bat, the nose is slammed with tons of grapefruit, mango, lychee, papaya, and guava. It's a bit catty as well, but the Simcoe hops used here give of an excellent tropical vibe. As it sits in the glass, the malt profile comes through more strongly, with notes of biscuit and caramel.

T: A moderate level of tropical fruit flavors appear on the palate initially. This is soon replaced by a midtaste and finish comprised of grapefruit peel, herbs, biscuit, and caramel maltiness. Simcoe comes across as a very 'sweet' hop to me, but these guys have done a great job extracting all the nuances out of the hops without any bitterness. I really like the hop complexity here. My only complaint is that it's a hair too sweet for me.

M: A bit on the heavy side for my tastes. Personally, I prefer a drier, lighter IPA (see: Troegs Perpetual IPA), but the wet finish manages to be lush rather than slimy. Some hop resins linger quite well without providing any bitterness. Personal preferences aside, this is how you execute the mouthfeel of a sweet IPA, plain and simple.

O: Damn this is really good. Despite all my nitpicks, I'm really loving this one. A fantastic choice for those who want an IPA without any unpleasant bitterness.

Serving type: can

01-27-2013 21:52:45 | More by ThisWangsChung