Anderson Valley Brewing Company Ee Tah! American IPA at 7.5% ABV (C$3.59 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-Apr-2017, reviewed 12-Apr-2017)
Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of rocky white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, floral, pale malt, passionfruit, lemon zest, hint of cat/onion. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly peppery finish. (3/5)
Decently well-done, if nothing overly special. It’s hop-forward, with a clean pale malt backbone providing appropriate support, but the hop character overall is a little… well, “muddled” might be overly harsh – let’s just say there’s no clear direction here. The brewer’s notes indicate it’s hopped with Citra, Chinook, and Amarillo, and not to be overly critical, but at least one of the starts-with-C-hops is feeling a mite too big for its britches, yielding just a hint of cattiness or green onion. But, all in all, it’s a solid A/IPA that plays nicely despite its fair-to-middlin’ ABV, and I have no real complaints. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
