Estrada Real IPA
Micro Cervejaria Falke Bier

 

 

 

From a 600 mL bottle,

A: Pours amber with a medium white head, some spotty lace, good head retention.

S: Butter bomb/diacetyl, some malt, sarsparilla/root beer, butterscotch.

T: Sweet malt which makes it really taste like a Belgian Dark Ale, brown sugar. The diacetyl does take a back seat in the flavour leaving some nice orangey hops with the malt. But in the end, there is no way blind I would identify this anywhere near the IPA spectrum.

M: Pretty smooth, crisp, medium-bodied.

O: This is where I have to ding it for being nothing like its style. As a stand alone judge not taking style into account, the flavour is not bad, I can enjoy this flavour profile. But this is nowhere near an IPA.

Now to complete the Falke trifecta. Many thanks to srbcurti for the opportunity to try this long desired beer. On to the beer:

Looks nice. Darker orange in color with good lasting head retention on top and spooty lacing. I've been told by antoher collegue that this smells like an IPA and tastes like soemthing else. Well, it certainly does taste like something else, but it smells muuch different. Curse the diacetyl! Buttery, esters, odd sweetness. And the taste....it doesn't taste like an IPA either. In fact, me and Halcyondays had a difficult time deciding which style this is better suited as. At times, it takes on the character of a Belgian Dark Ale, other time it's like an ESB. That just doesn't seem right. Interesting yes, but on target no.

Bottle sample at Mondiale 2010 Day Two. Serviceable IPA. Dark colour, a black IPA.Sheets of lace. Unusual hops, bitterness. There is significant malt offset, some balance balance, and IBU I would estimate at 60.Not great example of style, but worth a try.