Highland Brewing Company Mandarina IPA American IPA at 5% ABV | 35 IBU (US$2.49 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 355 ml, bottle date 21-Dec-2016, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 22-May-2017)_
Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal patchy lacing. (2/5) Aroma: mild, sweet malt, grassy/woody, cardboard, oranges, wheat. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light metallic. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry short duration finish. (3/5)
You know how great it is when you go into something with absolutely no expectations, not having researched it, and find a hidden gem? Yeah, this isn’t one of those times… I mean, OK, it’s older than 90 days, fair enough – but not by a whole lot, and I’ve had a lot of shelf turds that were far better than this. Maybe this is a whole bunch better fresh, but this one right here is definitely nothing special. (10/20)
5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
