Target IPA
Sly Fox Brewing Company

 

On tap at the 2007 Sly Fox IPA Project Day...
Appears a transparent orange toned amber with a small white head that slowly fades out into a mild cap. Small streaks of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell...probably one of my least favorites of these single hopped IPA's. I've brewed with Target hops before but never quite remember them smelling of this: cut grass, wet hay, dirty mineral water, and marijuana.
Taste is of the same muddled taste. It's not terrible but it was very dirty tasting and abrassive on the palate.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, harsh, and hop-heavy.

This was my first taste of the IPA project from Sly Fox. Amazing if you ask me... an IPA made with one hop! This is like the ultimate tasting tool. Anyways... on with the review. This was consumed on tap at the Drafting Room in Exton, PA.

Appearance - A hazy pale yellowish-orange. Typical of english styled IPA's.

Aroma - Piney, sprucey... a woodland IPA?

Taste - Truely unique IMO... the taste of this beer really reminds me of a juicy hop flavored pulp of a tree. Though this may not be the best description, the taste was excellent. Strong bitterness with a juicy hop flavor.

Mouthfeel - this is your average IPA... i will say there is a good balance of malt to bitterness.

drinkable? One or two to appreciate but more then that? not so much.

This is for the Target IPA Project 2007.

A: Thick foamy head with some lacing. Clear Burnt Orange color.

S: There are evident hoppy smells, pine and flowers especially.

T: There is burnt tar taste. It is as if the hops didn't open up enough, a very closed off tastes.

M: Good mouthfeel and carbination and plenty of bitterness that is expected.

D: I don't know that I could drink this all night. Iwould like to try it with a good fatty steak and see if more flavors come out.

I don't know much about hop varieties but the Target hop seems to do a good job with aroma and bittering but doesn't express itself enough in the flavor of the beer.

A nice light orange/amber colour mostly clear with a nice white collar of thick foam. Lacing is decent as well. This one is quite interesting, i'm not sure if it's the age on the kegs or what but some of these IPA's have really developed some interesting flavor dimensions that one would not normally associate with a single hop beer brewed in the IPA style. Anyways, this one has the aromas of very spicy hops with coriander and cinnamon qualities abounding in the palate of this brew. It is quite Enlgish in nature, but the spiciness of the hops remind me of Belgian pale ales and hoppy beers as well (think De Ranke XX bitter). Mouthfeel and drinkability remain par for the course. One of the most interesting versions for the 2004 project.

Beautiful amber color, clear with a white head. No carbination rising that you can see. Head reduced down to a nice covering with a thick ring at the edges. Nice light peppery scent with a slight bit of citrus in the background. Great bite to it! Dark and hoppy. Hits you at the sides and back of your tongue. Tons of flavor that stays in your mouth long after your sip. Deep and peppery. Blackened toast in the aftertaste. Very freakin' good! Not too heavy at all, yet not too light, very easy drinking.

Steeped into me DFH pint glass fresh from a growler filled via TDR Exton on a Sly Fox IPA night invitational. Appearance is totally clear crystal copper brilliance with a tangible head white cap prescence.

A bit easy in the aroma categoy. Some notes of leafy, pine hops and vegetable scents that bewilder me nose.

Well hopped tastes that cleverly tell the tale of a single Target IPA. Blends of flavors, despite being a one-hop trick pony. Maple syrupy notes, that blend to an orangey dry grapefruit palate. Ephemeral balance aftertaastes of malts and hops. Somewhat of an English style IPA prescence takes over once slightly warmed, but a chameleon of sorts IPA that has American sizzle too.

Solid mouthfeel of carbonation and body. Get ready for an English meets American style IPA. Not Samuel Smith's but not Victory Hop Devil.


Last swigs: A growler could easily disappear in my prescence. A bold offering, which well makes sense since the varietal style in question is Target. Spend the rest of your life searching for a single Target IPA and see how empty handed you will inevitably wind up. Enjoy. This single hopped IPA is a rare treat truly to be respected and enjoyed. Seek some SLY FOX Target or other IPA style if you are so lucky. Kudos to Brian O'Rielly for offering this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Beer is good. Happy local beering.

Sampled at the pub and later from a growler.

Poured a real clear orange-copper color. Head was smallish and off white, very sticky. On the nose was lots of sugar and herbs and some fruit. Not much hop aroma though. Overall somewhat muted.

Taste started with a candied malt (hard candy) sweetness, that was rather full, clean and forceful. Mid pallet balances well with a prickly bitterness, tingling and strong with a flash of orange I thought. Finishes nicely with a pretty strong herbal punch of bitterness. Medium dry. Mouthfeel was very slick with an almost rope like texture. Carbonation was just right.

Overall a very round IPA. Lacking a bit in hop aroma and hop flavor, it makes up a lot of points on taste alone. Balanced leaning to the bitter side. I was really pleased with this candied malt flavors (crystal malt?) I picked up. They combined real well with the target bitterness.

Not sure if this is pronounced "Tarjay IPA" or what...

Anyways, this beer poured a clear and deep amber color with a small tinge of orange in there. A creamy but short lived head topped off the brew. Very light aroma of hops and malt with nothing that stand out. The taste is very assertive with bitter tannic fruit floating above a hidden body of sweet malt. Bitter and unripe plums and cherries are evident. After a few sips, the strong taste of bitter grapefruit rind overwhelms the entire mouth and senses. The body of malt is there, but is taken over by the bitter qualities from the hops. Overall, this beer leans towards and finishes with a strong bitterness, but I feel this is a beer that any hophead could enjoy.