Scavenger IPL
Wolverine State Brewing Company
- From:
- Wolverine State Brewing Company
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- India Pale Lager (IPL)
- ABV:
- 5.9%
- Score:
- +6 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.79 | pDev: 3.43%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Jul 01, 2014
- Added:
- Jul 14, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan
3.66/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
3.66/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Enjoyed on tap at Wolverine State brewery in Ann Arbor. Scavenger sits somewhere in limbo between true amber and true copper; it's translucent, allowing light to pass through easily, but still obscuring anything on the other side. The head grows quite large; foamy and off-white, it doesn't take long for it to reduce to almost nothing.
After having and enjoying the Abalus Amber, I was a bit let down by the nose on this one. Scavenger is an IPL aged on soft maple wood, though the aroma is far too muzzled. Light, floral-esque hops and the smallest, slightest hint of dry wood in the background. Even with warming, it doesn't get much bigger, though a more expansive hop profile eventually comes out. I would have liked to see more maple, or hell, even some malt and/or yeast.
The flavor is dizzyingly complex when compared to the aroma, and thankfully, it provides a nice helping of redemption, too. Fresh lager yeast (important that it doesn't get lost in a sea of overwhelming, American hops), fruity apple sweetness, mild tartness even, citrus peels... It starts off kind of sweet and fruity at first, almost to the point where I'm thinking, "are you sure this is really and India Pale Lager?"
It doesn't take long, however, for the beer to take that hop-heavy turn. The fruits and sweetness crash into a pit of intense bitterness that exponentially creeps in until it's eventually attacking your palate full force. Leafy and ashy, the back end of the flavor profile is full of lupulin madness. There's an ominous, dry wood (maple, I guess) flavor that runs front to back and remains heaviest in the finish once all the other flavors fade.
The finish is very "palate coating" and leaves your mouth dry and full of woody intensity. I was pretty impressed with this beer, especially after my hopes were kind of shot from the lackluster nose. I think I like the Abalus Amber a little better still, though this was another good take on the IPL style. I like what these guys are doing at Wolverine State - they handle hop-heavier lagers pretty well, it seems.
Jul 14, 2013After having and enjoying the Abalus Amber, I was a bit let down by the nose on this one. Scavenger is an IPL aged on soft maple wood, though the aroma is far too muzzled. Light, floral-esque hops and the smallest, slightest hint of dry wood in the background. Even with warming, it doesn't get much bigger, though a more expansive hop profile eventually comes out. I would have liked to see more maple, or hell, even some malt and/or yeast.
The flavor is dizzyingly complex when compared to the aroma, and thankfully, it provides a nice helping of redemption, too. Fresh lager yeast (important that it doesn't get lost in a sea of overwhelming, American hops), fruity apple sweetness, mild tartness even, citrus peels... It starts off kind of sweet and fruity at first, almost to the point where I'm thinking, "are you sure this is really and India Pale Lager?"
It doesn't take long, however, for the beer to take that hop-heavy turn. The fruits and sweetness crash into a pit of intense bitterness that exponentially creeps in until it's eventually attacking your palate full force. Leafy and ashy, the back end of the flavor profile is full of lupulin madness. There's an ominous, dry wood (maple, I guess) flavor that runs front to back and remains heaviest in the finish once all the other flavors fade.
The finish is very "palate coating" and leaves your mouth dry and full of woody intensity. I was pretty impressed with this beer, especially after my hopes were kind of shot from the lackluster nose. I think I like the Abalus Amber a little better still, though this was another good take on the IPL style. I like what these guys are doing at Wolverine State - they handle hop-heavier lagers pretty well, it seems.
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