All You Need to Know
Brewery: Saucony Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial IPA/ DIPA
ABV: 10%
Cost: $2.75 (12 oz)
Glassware: Tulip
Serving Temp: 60° (should be colder, 55°)
Availability: Rotating
Purchased@: Hunger n Thirst
Quick Take: If you treasure hop bitterness and alcoholic warmth over malt sweetness, this may be an IPA for you. The citrus fruit aroma does not follow through on the taste where sweetness is pounded down by lemon, booze, and bitterness. This isn’t a subtle or refined IPA, but a clumsy one that hits hard. Not a bad beer for the bitter is better crowd, but I can think of a number of others that I would line up long before this one.
Brew Facts: Saucony Brewing was named ratebeer’s Best New Brewer in PA for 2013 and made a big splash with the very tasty Maple Mistress, an imperial pumpkin ale. The brewery was founded by X-Games vert skater and professional snowboarder, Matt Lindenmuth.
Appearance: Deep, dark amber resin. On the pour, there is a thick, fluffy white head that deflates quickly. Haze is a bit heavy. Lack of clarity is a little disappointing. The lacing threads along the glass and sudsy ovals cling along the rim.
Aroma: Tangy to the point of astringent citrus, apricot/mango, and some nostril burn. Fruity esters are a nice edition but the alcoholic note is a little off putting. Sweet, bready malt is overrun by the fruit qualities that dull as the beer warms.
Taste/Mouth Feel: Unexpectedly low carbonation, but it does have a nice medium body. Not too oily or slick. There is a light sweetness that falls aside as a lemony pine sol takes over. A bitter burn on the front of the tongue rides into an alcohol hit in the back of the throat on the finish. That bitterness takes on a mild cardboard due to the intensity of the hop. This could use sweetness in the finish to make the bitterness more palatable. If you find yourself missing the bitterness an hour after finishing the beer, don’t worry, just lick your lips.
Final Thoughts: If you treasure hop bitterness and alcoholic warmth over malt sweetness, this may be an IPA for you. The bitterness and alcohol are the featured to a fault. The flat malt backbone, bordering on cardboard, leaves a bit to be desired. The fruit aroma does not follow through on the taste where sweetness is pounded down by lemon, booze, and bitterness. This isn’t a subtle or refined IPA, but a clumsy one that hits hard. Not a bad beer for the bitter is better crowd, but I can think of a number of others that I would line up long before this one.
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