Sparkling Rosé IPA
Upslope Brewing Company - Lee Hill

 

On draught at Frontier Brewing and Taproom.

Pours a clear gold with a great head of foam that leaves rings of lacing after every sip.

I pick up hints of wine, sweet and earthy malt, lively hop character without a lot of bitterness.

The taste is earthy and slightly sweet malt. There's a mild vinous character, hops are rather assertive suggesting that this may be dry hopped.

Medium bodied with lively carbonation, it finishes extremely dry with a mild hint of tartness.

Another very good brew from Upslope.

 

 

 

 

These guys have been producing some delicious new seasonal brews. Their Spruce Tip IPA was easily the best new American IPA I tried all last winter. This one is even more impressive to me. The first great example I've had of this style; just a perfect crisp texture, so dry. Sierra Nevada's is the first one I had that was properly dry like a brut, but it was also pretty bland compared to a nice juicy NE IPA.

Now I'm starting to understand the appeal of this style.

L: Pours with a crystal clear orange-pink body, and a faintly pinkish white head that dissipates very quickly. No lacing to speak of, or it would get full marks for appearance.

S: Strong tropical aromas of banana, papaya and pineapple, with hints of guava, honeydew and apricot. A hint of beets as well as some sage and lemon are present on the finish.

T: Taste is more mellow and sweet, reminiscent of white peach, apricot, mango, melon, and guava. A light tartness prefaces the mild fruity taste. Just a hint of sage bitterness in the hops on the finish, but even that fades quickly, replaced with a faint ripe banana note.

F: What a clean finish, so crisp. Light almost like a cider, but less acidic. Friggin' crushable.

O: Definitely gonna drink this by a lake this summer. Cheers!