Simcoe IPA
Stewart Brewing Ltd

served on cask and very good, subtle, as so many of the hoppy beers were in scotland, and low alcohol, which was also a major theme of the beers there, but this is well conditioned, very drinkable, and rather tidy, an easy lunch beer and not overwhelming with fresh seafood and delicate flavors, a lovely daytime drinker thats i think aided by the warmer serving temperature of this format. a bit of color to it, not malty per se, but pushing that copper range, pretty clear, and with a creamy short but persistent cask head on it, nice. the nose here is pretty identifiable as simcoe, with a grapefruit lead note and some woodsy oily character there too, but its not as intense as i think most americans are probably used to from this varietal, and this sort of presents like a pale ale, with a little toasted and honey depth to the grain and lower bitterness and overall hop intensity, excellent balance, session ipa anyway, fresh to me for how far the hops probably traveled. the flavor also is lower on the hop punch, but still simcoe driven, zested grapefruit, a hint of navel orange, dried lawn clippings, good pressed hash, and an almost granola thing from the malt pairing beautifully. this is simple in a lot of ways, but its real well executed, and the smoothness from the cask is outstanding. i like the little pop of late bitterness, but its mild and gone fast, so each sip is new again. a faint fermentation element to this too, a bit more english for a flash there, but everything is in great proportion. a neat marriage of ingredients and a subtly different kind of hop forward beer. a unique expression of simcoe for me, liked it a lot!