IPA (Simcoe)
Appalachian Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

A - A hazy, orange tinted, golden body...a creamy, one finger, off white head...the head shows good retention settling into a thin cap...sheets of lacing

S - I could smell it as the bartender brought the beer to me...the classic Simcoe aroma was present all around...great flowery, citrus, and pine

T - The flavors, again, present nothing but the Simcoe flavor...the taste is never overpowering with the hops...there is minimal malt backbone that has a hard time coming through the hops...the finish is bitter

M - Medium bodied...a tad thin as all their beers...but the cask conditioning really helps in the creaminess and smoothness...good palate coating bitterness

D - This was a good example using the Simcoe hops...all the classic flavors were there...I like that they had this on cask and I didn't have a problem ordering a second one

ABC had a sort of hop appreciation event on 5/27/10 where you could order an assortment of three IPAs brewed using a single variety of hop in each. This is the simcoe version.

Served in a small goblet, it appears a hazed golden orange color with a yellowish stained head that receeds to a thin coating on top of the beer. Lacing appears in a solid curtain covering almost every part of the glass. Aroma is pine with a deep herbal scent mixed with a touch of grapefruit-like citrus. Flavor is quite herbal and not as bitter as most simcoe examples. However, the classic simcoe flavor is all there and it is easy to see how brewers can overdo it with this particular hop variety. Slightly drying finish with minimal malt backing. Medium feel with a mild amount of carbonation. Lingering dry bitterness of herbal flavor is left in the mouth and as it warms there is a touch of lemon and grass flavor that comes out. Overall not bad.