Ella IPA
The Prodigal Son Brewery

 

On tap at the brewpub in Pendleton, OR. Medium, muddy amber. with frothy beige head. Subdued aroma, equal part hops and malt. Malt is evident in the taste, slightly sweet, tempered with some mild hop bitterness. A gentle IPA.

Pours a clear golden honey with a finger of foamy head that dissipates to a thin ring with a little lacing. Faint aroma of pine and grain. Taste follows nose.

on tap at the casino in town, never made it over to the brewery, they keep limited hours, hopefully next time though. this is solid, although fairly old school, malt forward, light amber in color, not quite clear, short head by the time it got to our table, plastic cups never flatter craft beer though. it smells nice, although i dont know if the name is suggesting it uses ella hops, i dont think thats the case but i have been wrong a million times before, its not what i smell though. a little kitchen sinky, lots of crystal malt, higher alpha hops, and a pretty basic schedule it seems, good bitterness, some pint in the nose, a nutty layer in the grain, nothing standout but its fresh and hearty. the flavor is dense too, quite a bit of grain on this but its not too sweet which i like, a honey note to it, and the hops push right through, northwestern intensity, classic varietals it seems, spruce and juniper, sticky bud, and a little stone fruit, full flavor but it all sort of melts into itself too, no real peaks and valleys on this journey. i do get a little yeastiness as it warms, not out of place but not necessarily welcome either in this context, and its a touch light on carbonation. its tough to judge a beer in a place like this, i hope to check it out at the brewery next time i am out that way, this is decent but nothing special as it stands for now. still, nice to be able to get some local flavor on the casino floor!

 

 

 

On tap at the brewery.

A clear amber with a really creamy off white head with dense lacing, this looks great ! The nose is surprisingly subdued, with some citrus , orange blossom honey, some floral aromatics, a loyalty bit of a malt character, biscuit and dough, though a little stale. Moderately fruity up front, with orange peel, honey, a little toffee, before the doughy malt character becomes really noticeable. Almost a little bit oat like too. Drying, bitter finish, honey and citrus. A little too fizzy on the palate for my liking. Decent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hops! Amazing hops! Not balanced at all. The malt just barely supports this floral, citrus, amazing IPA. Love the nose and mouthfeel. Enough bitterness to dry it out and keep you coming back for more. A must try for northwest IPA lovers. If I were doomed to drink one IPA for all time I would choose this one. The citrus is grapefruit and slightly sweet, floral without being perfume like and great mouthfeel.