Rock Hop Cold IPA
10 Barrel Brewing Co.

 

everyone is making cold ipa these days, and with the penchant for hops these guys have, no surprise they are getting into the game too. this one is a little stronger, a little more bitter, and even a little more malty than seems to be the trend with them, so kind of a neat deviation at this point, good but not amazing, a little raw to me, and rather aggressive overall, but flavorful and good at the same time, i pretty much always enjoy their hoppy stuff. a tad more color here than a lot of these have, and it looks unfiltered to me, not hazy, but not as clean and bright as the best of these either. the nose shows some heavy pine, dense tropical fruit, and significant bitterness to me, a touch of green bite, mango, melon, and sweet orange, a neat and robust combination of varietals must be. all of it is there in the flavor too, but so is some denser maltiness and just a hint of oxidation, is this less than fully fresh i wonder. i dont mind the balance, but this doesnt have the lager crispness the style exists for, and its not as drinkable as it could be. still, the flavors are good, compatible, and the intangibles are all here, just seems more like a west coast type ipa than what the cold ipa is all about, maybe better in that context...

So heard about cold ipa and it hasn't hit Ohio yet at least as far as I can tell. Wifey went to Portland so she brought this back for me. Much appreciated.

Pours a nice orange with some haze. Head is white and falls quickly but a nice lace remains.

Smell is subdued. A bit of malt sweetness and a touch of citrus. Very subtle on both fronts.

Taste is a bit of fruit up front. Some caramel malt. Finishes a bit grainy. The hops are there but the strange thing is they aren't in your face. It goes down pretty smooth and subtle. A sweetness lingers LONG after the sip. Would really like to have more bitterness at the end.

Mouth feel is full and a bit of slickness in the tongue.

This is different but it seems to me that this is much closer to the NE or Hazy IPA style with less of a fruitiness. I am not a fan of these styles as without the bitterness to balance it out, I feel like it is kind of akward.

Maybe this will take off like I have read but I don't love it. Maybe if they make a smaller version of the style that comes in at 5% and call it a cold pale ale I may be interested. I don't know if this is a good example of the style as it is my first one. I'll try more but not loving my first go at it.

Apparently this will be the next trend for 2022 - IPL's incorrectly labeled as IPA's so that they sell...12oz can poured into a tall glass...floral, piney, orange, malt sweetness...some of that skunky dankness...clean and smooth with a light finish.

12oz can from Albertsons. Hazy golden pour, thin foamy head, lacing. Aroma is hoppy, light dank, citrus, pineapple, pine. Taste is citrusy, dry, minor dank notes, sweet, fruity, light mouth coating. Tasty.