Grande River IPA
San Luis Valley Brewing Company

 

 

Little more malty than I like my IPA’s to be..

 

 

a well made if extremely generic ipa. nothing in hop varietals, scheduling, or in the grain bill to set this apart in the slightest. pale two row and C varietal hop is about it. that said, the process is obviously dialed and the beer is quite well built, just lacking any sort of distinction. a little more residual sugar here than i usually like in the style, has a honey flavor to it, and actually works well in this instance with the hops, which have some sweeter oils of their own. a little dried hay and a little hint of fresh orange, and then the mid range bitterness of the hops. carbonation may be a touch low for me, but it feels about right. a good craft option in the absence of others, but i would not hold its own against even the middling craft ipas here in denver. good but samey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was a little disapointed at first my beer appeared to be served to me flat. Although this was not the case the IPA had no idication of head. I then took a wiff. Nothing came to me. I thought maybe something was wrong with my sniffer, this is still a posibility but not ussually a problem. Despite not noticing a distintive smell or the beer holding a head the taste was much different. The beer holds true to its IPA characteristics. It was actually a good tasting beer. Good bitterness level that balanced well with the malts.

Amber-copper in color, White frothy head that slides down the glass. Nice clarity.

Nose is dominated by hops. Floral and citrus.

Tastes of American hops. Loads of grapefruit and a slight apricot. Very crisp and refreshing. Great malt profile to support the amount of hop character. Toffee and caramel. Finishes with a slight resin on the back of the tongue.

Very drinkable and possibly my favorite selection from SLV