King Louie IPA
Wrecking Bar Brewpub

 

Comes out of the tap a clear dark amber, almost copper, with a fine-bubbled and persistent pale orangy-tan head. Aroma is hoppy and grassy. Mouth-filling flavor is quite hoppy, grassy rather than evergreen, slightly bitter, slightly woody and sharp. Edgy, tingly, slightly powdery texture nearly attacks the tongue and fizzes all the way down to the tummy.

Appearance: Delivered by Ian to my corner of the bar a clear, dark copper body with an inch of creamyish, faintly beige-tinged head.

Smell: Smells of a bubbling light-colored caramel sauce dosed with dried citrus peel and harboring some spicy hints and notes of toasted grains.

Taste: Toasty and moderately grainy, lightly sweet with a brief taste of caramel. A slight flash of tannic woodsiness, then a larger quality of dried citrus, with a backing of earthiness and spice. Robustly bitter. Drying, somewhat citric, and assuredly (as well as lingeringly) bitter on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: While I certainly enjoyed it, what with it's fair degree of balance, those seeking out one of those tongue-blistering, enamel-rotting West-Coast style IPA's (why they're looking for one, I have no earthly idea) may be let down (as well they deserve).

On-tap at the brewpub.

Pours a deep copper-brown color with an off-white head that leaves thick lacing.

Smells of heavy caramel malts with large amounts of herbal and pine hops. Also present are slight amounts of floral aromas.

Tastes similar to how it smells, though not as robust. Slightly dry caramel malts with mild bready flavors up front are joined quickly by heavy herbal and pine flavors. Midway through lighter citrus hops make an appearance, fading out into a moderately bitter ending. Mouthfeel is good, with smooth carbonation.

Overall I thought this was a solid beer, although the heaviness of the malt took away it’s potential to be a very good west coast IPA. Still, a solid beer and one that’s worth a shot.

Had on-tap at the brewpub. Described as a classic West Coast style IPA, with an original gravity of 1.059 and 62 IBUs. Brewed with hops from Japan and the Pacific Northwest. To me, that means Sorachi Ace and Cascade, and after tasting the beer I'd say that's about right. I happen to be a fan of Sorachi Ace hops, and I love what they bring to the party. Here they offer a muted lemongrass note, some coconut milk creaminess, and some spice, perhaps star anise. The beer itself pours a reddish copper with some orange highlights- a bit darker than you might expect. Very nice creamy head and some good lacing as well. The Sorachi Ace is prominent in the nose, with lots of creaminess, some citrus tang, and spice. Some deeper citrus and pine creep in from the Northwest near the end. The more this warmed and opened up, and the more I drank of this, the more I liked it. Really nicely balanced, both between a nice lightly biscuity maltiness and between the bitter pine and citrus of the Northwest hops, and the creamy, herbal, lemony and spicy notes of the Japanese hops. I keep finding the echo of Sorachi Ace, with the bitter finish of the pine and orange peel noted to be haunting. Smooth in the mouth, with some body , but not grainy. A surprise. Good job!