Golden Gate IPA
Napa Smith Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pub brew on tap in chilled 12oz bar glass. Head was very weak. Lacing left in glass was reminiscent of a urine sample. Color was golden to dark straw. Hop odor prominent, I suspect blend with Idaho 7 being largest percentage. Bitter on back of palate. In this pull I'm getting some butter flavors. Drink it in a pinch

 

 

 

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color, with a short off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, citrus and earthy hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with strong flavors of caramel and citrus. Then a strong but not over-powering earthy hops presence comes in. The malt character is hearty and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly hoppy.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, while it’s not a hop-bomb but it’s still a solid IPA to drink for a long time.

Served on draft at Sunspot in Knoxville TN.

I am having a bad night with beers. Another very average beer. This one is unbalanced as all get out. I usually lean in favor of overly hopped beers, but there are limitations. Really bitter and clean, but astringent rather than just bitter. Not very cohesive. Malt underpinning is being flogged while the hop oils and bitterness are being promoted from cashier to CFO. metallic tasting and not very good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sampled on tap at the SFO, a last taste of the city before departing. This is a mild, well-balanced IPA. The requisite pine/citrus/malt balance works nicely here. Overall, a tasty beer.