YellowBelly Brewery Sheila Na’Geira American IPA at 5.5% ABV | 55 IBU (C$9.60 at NLC Stavanger, 1 l, best before 27-Mar-2018, acquired 19-Feb-2018, reviewed 19-Feb-2018)
Appearance: clear deep gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, floral, pale crackery malt, resiny pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering bitter finish. (4/5)
A pleasant enough IPA but without any really stand-out distinguishing characteristics. I see what the intent was here – to dial back the malt and let the hops take centre stage – and to some extent that worked. On the other hand, I wouldn’t go so far as to call this unbalanced, but it’s not a complete success. Specifically, the body comes across as just slightly thin for the hop intensity, resulting in it being slightly edgy or astringent. And yes, I tried it with some (high-quality) milk chocolate per the commercial description, but didn’t note any particular synergy as a result. Good, sure, but not next-level good. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
