Sparta
North Peak Brewing Company

 

hail was a little better

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz can. Didn’t check canned on date. From a friend on Halloween.

Pour: Hazy amber with a two finger white head. Lots of foamy lacing. Very attractive.

Nose: pretty subtle but hints of citrus, especially grapefruit.

Taste: Mild grapefruit, orange, bready malt, a little Northern MI pine.

Mouthfeel: moderate+ carbonation. Fairly creamy, pretty clean finish.

Overall: This is surprisingly goo (as others have said). I didn’t expect much but really enjoyed it. Would go well with lots of food pairings.

A - Pours a lightly hazed amber with a two finger creamy white head. Tons of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is grapefrut, orange peel and caramel malts.

T - The taste is grapefruit, orange peel, caramel malt and piney hops.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a nice dry finish.

O - Nice west coast style ipa. Good mix of citrus and piney hops. Nice surprise and definetly better than I expected.

I generally dislike IPA or APA beers because they're too bitter and I don't much like for that overly-hopped taste but this one is surprisingly not that bad. Tolerable at best. But one thing I wanted to comment on about this one is how great it pours from a can. Nice dark gold color with a nice thick foam head that lines evenly with my beer glass. Perfectly presentable.

 

 

Pours crystal clear deep golden amber color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with awesome retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of huge mandarin orange, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/rind, light peppercorn, pine, honey, toasted biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of huge mandarin orange, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/rind, light peppercorn, pine, honey, toasted biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of mandarin orange, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, honey, toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and minimal lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly crisp/resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7.2%. Overall this is an awesome IPA! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth, easy, and fairly crisp to drink the the moderately bitter/resinous/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Outstanding Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, Cascade profile. Extremely juicy, vibrant, dank, and earthy hop complexity; great balanced bready malt backbone, minimal residual sweetness from lingering dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and spot on West Coast style example.