Imperial Plum IPA
Breckenridge Brewery & The Farm House

 

 

 

Well, the label does say it's an IPA. I guess the word "plum" caused me to expect something that tasted like, you know, plum - at least a little bit. It may be there but my palate is just not sophisticated enough to detect it. While it's not as bitter as many IPAs, the hops and bitterness are still front and center.

It's not bad. I guess I was expecting something different and more interesting.

 

Breckenridge Brewery "Imperial Plum IPA"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle without any apparent freshness dating.
$2 @ Weis, Conshohocken, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: Seeing as how my wife's last name is Plum I had to try this. I haven't been the biggest fan, or really any kind of fan at all of Breckenridge but they've made some decent beers before so here goes... it's poured a creamy finger-plus thick head of off white atop a clear deep amber/copper colored body. It smells like a malty and caramelish ale with a light bit of fruitiness that could just as well be coming from the yeast as much as any added fruit. Essentially I don't find the plum, but that's OK, let's see if it's in the flavor. Yes indeed. It's clear, it's not bold or brash, and to a certain extent just like the aroma if you didn't know there were plums added you might just think it was from the yeast - actually they're not plums, it's from "natural flavors" but that's OK too. It's fairly soft, there's a good amount of malt to it (medium bodied for sure) and there's not a lot of bitterness, just enough to balance it and give it a little bit at the end. There's a light... very light... bit of acidity to it as well which I assume is from the plum flavoring, and that helps to dry it in the finish as well. Looking back I've still got a solid creamy surface covering and there's some decent lacing left behind. It's not great but it's good enough to earn it a 4 out of 5. Hmmm, I'm also get a little bit of an alcohol feel, not any taste, just that presence that lets you know you're drinking a strong beer, and I'm guessing that's helping to dry the finish as well. It's nice. There's some sweetish malt lingering along with the fruit and a little bit of leafy/herbal hops and bitterness and it all works out nicely in the end. It's occurred to me as we're approaching the holidays that this would make a great Christmas beer. I'm not sure I'd want it with my meal but it'd be a very nice change of pace before and after. The one drawback I've found is that toward the end it starts to get a little medicinal, probably from the "natural flavoring". Oh well. In the end I think it's just a little bit curious which makes it interesting, and fairly charming, especially since we're talking about a beer of 9%.

 

 

 

I really hate to disparage others, but if you are going to add a beer, shouldn't you also (at least) rate it? This one has no Ratings or Reviews nor does it have an approved pic. I guess that Yours Truly will have to be the one to break the plum, not cherry, on this one in more ways than one!

From the bottle: "Small Batch Series".

I gleefully Pop!ped the cap & once again began a heavy-handed pour of an absolutely fresh AIPA. I watched in wonderment as it quickly formed two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with very good retention, leaving loads of sticky lacing in its wake. Color was a solid Copper (SRM = 17) with NE-quality clarity. Gorgeous! Nose had a dark fruitiness that I could not identify on my own (other than reading the label, duh!). It did not have the usual smell of a DIPA, which also made it tough for me to identify. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy but on the approach. The taste was quite fruity up front, slowly giving 'way to an alcohol-driven heat on the back end. I still do not know that I would have identified the fruit as "Plum" since it is such an oddball adjunct, but I would certainly have said "dark fruits" if not "dried dark fruits". The finish was dry, not sweet as I had girded myself for based on the label & name. I am still unsure that I would have guessed "Plum", but it was definitely a fruit-driven beer that ended with a dry, tannic note. Mmm.