Firestone Walker Brewing Company Luponic Distortion #10 American IPA at 5.9% ABV | 59 IBU (C$3.73 at Oak & Vine, 355 ml, packaged on 8-Jun-2018, acquired 29-Sep-2018, reviewed 29-Sep-2018)
Appearance: clear straw with one fat finger of fluffy white head, moderate retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, citrus, floral, crackery pale malt, light dank. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter finish. (4/5)
Yeah, OK, that’s me slightly behind the times – the last one of this series I had (could find) was “004”. Not that there’s a lot of variation in each release, of course – they’re all variations on the same base malt bill. Which isn’t a criticism, since each allows a slightly different hop profile to be explored. I just wish they wouldn’t be so coy about what hops are used: for this one, their web site says “The lead hops in No. 10 include cultivars from the Pacific Northwest, Germany and Australia”. That and a buck’ll buy you a cup of coffee. Anyway, it’s easy drinking, decently dry, and finishes clean. At this point, I might not be expecting any surprises from the series, but I’ll certainly continue to sample them. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
