Hop Brook India Pale Ale
Maplewood Farms Restaurant & Brewery

German-style refillable growler filled at Maplewood on 3/20/04, enjoyed on 3/23/04. Growler was not allowed to fully foam out, so the bottle was not full during storage. Hopefully it did not affect the brew too much.

First imperial pint glass pours with a white 1/2" head, which was fluffy, similar to what you see on cask-conditioned ale presentations. Head mostly disappated after a couple of minutes. Deep gold in color, with maybe a tinge of orange. First impression of the aroma is lightly of hops, but also rounds out with some malt. Taste is stronger of hops than indicated by the nose, and well-rounded by the malt flavors. Slight citrus character is present as well. Bitterness hangs around in the mouthfeel, as it should in an IPA. Good representative of the style.

Served on draft at the Maplewood Brewpub, my Hop Brook IPA was colored like a bright new shiny copper penny, with a little bit of foamy white head that settled in quickly. Aroma is a litle hop-spicy, and a little malty. Taste is quite hoppy, but more sweet than bitter overall, and very balanced with a nice smooth caramely malt profile, notes of grapefruit also noticeable in the backgrount. A very crisp IPA in my opinion, and quite drinkable.

Sampled on tap at the brewpub.

This IPA poured a clear, coppery-amber color with white foam that settled and left no lace. The smell was mild floral hops with some malt and with some citrusy notes. The taste was dominated by the hops (floral and bitter) but well balanced by the malt. The hops had notes of pine, grapefruit, and oak. The mouthfeel was initially sharp on the tongue but then was smooth and dry. The body was on the light side of medium with low carbonation. This was a very enjoyable IPA, but could have used a bit more body.