Attempting to drown out the loud television with The Jesus and Mary Chain is a brilliant idea. Such mellow, yet interesting music. Reverb heavy. Listening to this and The Cure, right there is the ultimate writing/zoning out and collecting thoughts music. Although, I will state that 'Just Like Honey' should be played anytime anyone is drinking Hopslam.
Apparently, there is a task at hand, which is to review this beer. I remember the first time I saw this brew. I was turned off by it, by the description. 42 IBUs, 4.7 ABV? This is hardly what I consider an IPA. I was nearly outraged with seeing the IBUs. I expect a hop heavy mid-70 IBUs minimum when I think IPA. Below that I consider a pale ale. But this surprised me. Let's see if one year later, it continues to while I fight the urge to grab the Les Paul and strum along with "Blues From A Gun".
The color is a slightly hazy golden, almost straw color. Little amount of head that is almost stark white. But then you get to aroma. Oh yeah. somehow the 42 IBUs brings out big aroma of citrus, earth and pine notes, with some very faint hints of fresh cut grass, but the citrus overwhelms most of the aroma. The taste is where this starts to bother me a bit. This has some earthy toward the front with grapefruit ending, but the flavor is just a little too watery for a cold Ohio day. This would be great to drink while mowing the grass after a long day at work. This may warm up to me, once the weather does, but as of mid 30's in Ohio, this isn't doing it for me. The mouthfeel is like drinking water and it's more like drinking a lightly hopped tea than a beer. Very little carbonation.
So, now that I've confused you panning and giving praise, what will the final verdict be?
3.5/5 caps (maybe change the name to "All Day Pale Ale" and maybe a more of a malt backbone?)
-Nathan-
Yes, this is a "session" ale, meaning it's going to be lower in alcohol content so you can down a six-pack and not wake up under your coffee table. Or better yet, cheek plastered to the bathroom floor. I'm surprised that it's only 42 IBU's. I also think it's better structured than Nathan does... I find a hint of malt backbone on the backside of the brew. It's not as thin as, say, Lagunitas Daytime, which seemed more like a hop tea to me. This has enough maltiness to make it a very drinkable session IPA. It's definitely hoppy enough, and it's a little more bitter than a pale ale. I'd like to do a side-by-side comparison of this and their Dry-Hopped Pale Ale, which is fantastically hoppy for a pale ale. But that's just me. And while I'm indulging in Founders fantasy, I'd also throw a sixer of their Centennial IPA up against it, just for shits and giggles. But I suppose that would detract from the meaning of a session ale.
Is this my favorite IPA? No, but it's a decent offering from an outstanding brewery. It's a porch-sipper, where I could see myself languoring over a hot summer night not trying to cool myself off on the bathroom floor.
4/5 caps
-Jennie
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