Telegraph IPA
Telegraph Brewing Company

 

Here is yet another oddball for The CANQuest (tm) in that I have no idea where it came from! CAN this be a part of a drop-off by my local, in-person trader, @tone77 ? Sheesh! No wonder that I am working my tail off to get caught up.

From the CAN: "Cascade, Centennial, CTZ & Meridian Hops"; "Loaded with hop character, Telegraph IPA may come as a surprise to our long-time fans. True, we're not known for being heavy-handed with the hops, but sometimes everyone needs to try something new. Staying true to our passion for nuanced, uniquely Californian beers, this American IPA offers generous hop flavor and aroma and a clean, dry finish. It is bold, yet balanced, an IPA brewed on our own terms. Here's to new directions!"

I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. It foamed up nicely of its own accord to form just over two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with very good retention, slowly falling away to wisps. Color was a hazy Amber to Deep-Amber/Light-Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13). Nose was pine, caramel & light citrus, very much like the types of AIPAs that got me hooked ~ 20 years ago. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. It was quite piney & the citrusiness was more towards orange/tangerine than grapefruit, all CANterbalanced by a caramel sweetness. Drinking this reminded me a LOT of the first time that I had Victory Hop Devil & fell in love with both it & the style. Mmm. Some reviewers CANplained that it was not hoppy enough, but unlike Schlitz, this CANtained more than just "a kiss of the hops". Granted, it was not a French kiss of the hops, but they were still prevalent enough to be satiating for this self-described, self-avowed hophead. Finish was cool & dry, almost minty with an assertiveness from the Cascade & Cntennial hops. Mmm.

Had just about every IPA on the planet. Tired of the hazy, tired of fruity, tired of all the experimental beer. This one is a straight forward, absolutely delicious IPA, no harsh flavors and goes down as well if not better than most all IPA's I've ever had. My 'go to' has been Blue Dream by Oskar blues, this beer has replaced it. I consider a 'go to' IPA one that is easy and delicious, not too expensive, and easy to obtain.

Poured into a becher pint glass, the appearance was a semi-thick pale burnt copper to dark rust color with a nice finger and a half's worth of white foamy head that slid off at a moderate pace. Concave foamy white lace glided off fairly nice.
The aroma covered a clean caramel/toffee malt bill up front to some stiff piney bitter hops. Light honey and biscuits on the back end.
The flavor leaned towards the sweet side initially with the malts up front and then provided a piney bitterness that seemed to glide into the aftertaste, lots more sticky caramel here.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sessionability about it. Carbonation felt good. The bitter harshness hits a bit higher than I thought it would have or maybe I've gotten so used to these "New England styled IPA's" that I have forgotten about that old "harshness" that used to grip my tongue into submission. Definitely, a drying character well noted on my tongue.
Overall, West coast styled IPA through and through, that huge body on this and piney bitter level just seems to penetrate just as expected for this style. I'd have again.

 

 

Clear deep gold body under a fat head of pale tan... Lots of lace trails behind... Brings together fruit and pine elements nicely, nothing too sharp or over-the-top, moderately bitter, mildly sweet, clean-finishing and very smooth - great feel actually - a very nice beer you could easily take for granted...

 

16 ounce can poured into a tulip

A: Pours amber orange with a white head, no retention, minor lacing, slightly hazy, tiny stream of bubbles around the glass.

A: Smells like an old beer, no date on the can, little bit of citrus like orange and tangerines, peaches, lots of sweet caramel, almost toasted brown sugar like malt aroma on the backend, it's mostly malt with slight hop aromas up front.

T: Very little hop notes on the taste, subtle notes of oranges, peaches, citrus peel, low/moderate amount of bitterness, finish has lots of sweet, brown sugar like notes, almost taste like an aged barleywine, alcohol is not present on the taste.

M: Medium/light bodied with a semi-dry finish, good amount of carbonation.

O: This must be an old can, the label reads, "True, we're not known for being heavy-handed with the hops," and I would agree. Either the can is old or they really add very little hops to their beers. I've tasted APAs with more hop presence.

 

 

Pours a clear copper with a foamy head that has moderate retention

Smells earthy, a bit of pine, and biscuit. Light citrus notes

Herbal, piney, citrus, with a robust malt presence

Light carbonation. Not overly bitter, slightly sweet

A classic west coast IPA...but a little dated. It tastes like 15 years ago. Still solid though.

Large three finger plus head, almost foams out of the glass, craters more than dimples but there’s excellent retention and a minute or so later it is still at two fingers, eggshell off-white color, have to wait some time for the head to subside to even gauge the lacing which turns out to be large splotches. Bright rust orange colored liquid, transparent, most curiously there’s only a few random bubbles on view. Sweet, viscous nose of molasses, caramelized brown sugar and spiced oranges, there’s forest floor matter and wet dankness underneath, the mango, apricot to peach fruit can get lost in it all, longlasting pungency. Full-bodied, thick and slow moving, the carbonation is like a marshmallow pressed against your tongue. More piney and citrusy here, tangerine to lime more than grapefruit. More graininess than breadiness, the maltiness comes off as dry if not powdery. The peach, nectarine, apricot fruit taut and fares better here but still no major factor. While not excessively bitter there is a lot of pucker, likely due to the herbaceousness. Clings to the pores at the end and with its heaviness could tire you out after one or two.