Jadyn and I had dinner at Cambridge Common on October 20th. I had a couple pints of Ithaca's awesome Flower Power IPA.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.55
Sometimes you have an IPA that reminds you how wonderful hops are, and how a lot of IPAs have hop bitterness, but sacrifice hop flavors. Ithaca's Flower Power IPA captures the essence of hops.
It pours a very nice, hazed, orange-copper color, and is topped by a thick, creamy, off-white head that fades, leaving the side of the glass coated with lace. The aroma is intensely hoppy. There are floral and citric notes, as well as a pungent, resiny bite. This really smells like sticking your nose in a bag of hops. Swirling the beer brings out the malts, which are predominantly bready and biscuity.
There's a mild malty sweetness upfront that's bready and sugary. The hops begin to assert themselves in the center, first with favors of citrus and grass, and then a strong resiny bitterness appears in the finish. The hops oils are evident on the palate, but are balanced by the crisp carbonation.
Overall I thought that this was a fantastic IPA. It really showcased both the hops bitterness and flavors.
Labels: American IPA
