Kind Brew IPA
Lumberyard Brewing Company

 

Take 1, first pour from the 750ml bottle:
A steady pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip produces an almost two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The beer is a nice amber color that shows a brilliantly clear, bright, red-stained, copper hue when held up to the light. The beer smells of herbal, slightly metallic, sort of soapy note that leads the front of the nose. There is also some lychee notes and ruby red grapefruit aromatics as well as a “hemp” oil like scent. There is a significant, for an IPA at least, malt aromatic character that contributes notes of English biscuit malt character and toasted brown grain cracker notes.

The beer has an herbal, hemp-oil like, lingering pine and ample, biting bitterness. There is a soft backdrop of lychee, bitter lemon zest, ruby red grapefruit zest, and some tangelo zest notes that aren’t quite as bright as I might prefer. The beer is actually quite light bodied and smooth; a low carbonation helps the smooth texture of this beer. This beer really has a huge, biting bitterness that really lingers on the palate after each sip. The malt character clearly plays a supporting role here, but does manage to contribute a touch of round biscuit character, and perhaps a touch of caramelized bread crust notes.

A perfectly acceptable, perhaps even a bit more than acceptable, IPA; I could wish for a bit more expressive, bright fruity hop notes to go along with the great herbal and huge bitterness that this beer has. Still this is quite an enjoyable beer, one that I am happy to have a 750ml bottle of. Though it can feel a little thin at times.
3.5, 4.5/3.5/3.5/3.5/3.5/

Take 2, the second pour from the 750ml bottle.
After this warms up the aroma has an interesting, distinctly peppery like, woody and herbaceous, amply “hemp” like note that is joined by a bright, expressive note of lychee and ripe tangelo zest; I am not sure how I missed these notes the first time around, but the mixture of herbal and fruit notes is just about perfect in the aroma now; I am really digging the peppery addition to the nose now.

The flavor isn’t quite so different as the nose is this round, but there is still that peppery, woody, spicy, almost even oak like hop character here in the flavor as well as a brighter lychee flavor, ripe Curacao orange zest and some caramelized tangelo zest notes. The hops are aggressive enough that they linger on the ongu in a numbing manner. With the improved flavor the lighter body seems much better now, in fact the added fruitiness provides the extra balance that was needed to make this beer work and the lighter body now makes this beer eminently drinkable.

This is much more my style of IPA in the second pour, bright, expressive, with huge notes of herbaceous notes that are coupled with a bright hop fruitiness that helps to keep things well balanced. I think my palate might have been a bit dulled from dinner.