West Coast Session IPA
Stadin Panimo

BOTTLE: .33L. Unbranded pry-off crown cap. Generally appealing label art. Best before: 1.11.2015. Era #641. Purchased at a hypermarket in Kuopio.

4.5% ABV. 10.6 Plato. 50 IBU.

Served cold into a pilsner glass at low altitude in Kuopio, Finland. Expectations are average given the country of origin coupled with the style (Finns seem to have trouble brewing good IPAs). Reviewed live as a session IPA per the label.

No bubble show forms as it's poured.

HEAD: ~3 inches wide, occupying ~80% of the glass. Off-white colour. Fluffy consistency and a soft complexion. Retention is good - ~7 minutes. Leaves no lacing as it recedes. Airy and light looking.

BODY: Clear yellow of above average vibrance. A bit brighter than most IPAs, but more appealing for it. Clean, with no visible yeast particles or hop sediment.

Appears well-carbonated. Overall, it's an attractive IPA but not a unique or special looking one.

AROMA: Hop-forward, with a pleasant floral hop character supplemented by grassy hops, vague citrus, fruity zest, and hints of tropical fruit. Has a bright pale malt foundation with some lighter malts in there too - perhaps pilsner or even Munich? I love that it avoids the sweet caramalt flavours so prevalent in bad IPAs. I also pick up on faint notes of lime, sea salt, and brine.

It's a pleasant aroma for an IPA, and though it falls short of the West Coast style dankness I think it's after, it seems well balanced and true to the style. I find no booze, off-notes, or yeast character.

Aromatic intensity is average.

Suggests a refreshing and balanced yet simple beer with some nice hop flavours.

TASTE: Hm. I get some bitter herbal notes in the late second act, and little else in terms of hop character. Where did all the promises of the aroma go? There's a trace of vague fruit, but no bursts of citrus or tropical fruit. Even the generic floral aspect of the hop profile is dull. No pine, no resins, no dank herbal notes....this falls far short of its West Coast style aims. And that lime I thought I found in the aroma is just a juniper-like herbal note. I think I find a kiss of white pepper or salt in there?

Though the hop profile is disappointing, the malt backbone isn't terrible. I think they underutilized pale malts and relied too much on brighter malts with less sugar; it almost has a faux-wheat (spelt?) or pilsner malt body. In any case, there's an odd mismatch of hops to malts, and the beer comes off unbalanced as a result.

I can't say it's intricate or deep, but isn't as painfully simple as many Finnish IPAs. Flavour duration and intensity are average. The faint vague traces of fruit I find are nice, but other than that it isn't a real pleasant brew. Certainly not flavourful. I don't dislike it, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

TEXTURE: Spritzy and light, which plays to its strengths. It's aptly thin and refreshing without being watery or weak. Smooth and wet, lending it a welcome presence on the palate.

This is actually a pretty well-executed session IPA mouthfeel; it's a shame there isn't much flavour for it to support and/or accentuate.

Overcarbonated, sure, but it's not rough, harsh, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, or problematic in any overt sense.

OVERALL: It's a disappointment in its style - even when you walk in with meagre expectations. It doesn't really even deliver on the fundamentals of the style, and would hardly even qualify as a pale ale by international standards given the absence of hop flavours. I'm glad to see Finnish brewers attempting the style, and this is drinkable, sure, but I wouldn't trifle with this again - especially at its high price point. At best, it's on the low side of average - though it's worth noting that it's probably actually above average as far as Finnish IPAs go.

Low C (2.79)