River Days
Mad River Brewing Company

It has a nice rich amber color. The aroma is so light it was hard for me to detect. The flavor is good, but as is often the case for sessions, it lacks the fuller hoppy pallet of full fledged IPAs. I may not have had this along the banks of the Mad River, but did once I got home from there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottling code starts with 339 16, so.... Bottled Dec. 5th 2016?

Appearance - Pours slightly hazy with fine sediment floating about. Golden orange in color with a white, half finger width head. Sub-par retention, resulting in a thin, consistent layer of suds and a thick ring around the edge of the glass. Lacing is fair, with broke lines and tiny spots decorating the glass.

Smell - Aroma hits on notes of orange, spice and bready malts.

Taste - Balanced flavor, with grainy, bready malts cut by moderate grassy and citrusy hop bitterness. Grainy finish.

Mouthfeel - Light-to-medium in body with fair carbonation. Slick, easy drinker.

Overall - I think the hops on this died several months ago. I found the bottling code hidden on the bottom of the bottle and in black ink, so only visible with light shining through the top of the now emptied container, so good luck with trying to account for freshness before buying. The store I got it from had just got it in so I was counting on it being fresh, but nope. What a shame. I love Mad River, but come on guys, do a bottle job disclosing freshness.

Look is thick and hazy gold. Beautiful, full color with a thick crisp white head. Looks like a proper west coast IPA should
Smell is well balanced between malty sweetness and crisp citrus. Not overwhelming but quite pleasant.
Taste is big and bitter. Some lemon notes and a good bit of crisp, crystal malt all backed up with a strong hoppy bitterness. Not a complex beer but a familiar big hop tongue slap for west coast IPA fans.
Feel is clean if a bit thin. Surprisingly quick off of the tongue but very much appreciated in river day weather.
Overall a great option for those hot summer days on the water. A whole heap of hops without the sticky mouth that comes with true IPAs in the heat. Also, at just under 5%, it makes a great day time beer for folks who want more out of their days off than a nap at the beach.

I had this beer on-tap at the brewery in a pint glass.

Appearance: medium golden color with a little haze and a moderate effervescence. Head is a thin layer of white foam.

Smell: floral and somewhat grassy hop aroma. Nice, but it's rather light.

Taste: like the aroma, the flavor is a bit on the light side but it still delivers a pretty good bitterness. Hops are grassy and earthy. Definitely a session IPA.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a big carbonation and a surprisingly good creaminess.

Overall: a decent session IPA. Well composed and quite quaffable.

Glad to find a session from one of my favorite brewers. Golden amber with a bubbly, thin, tan head that diminished quickly. Minimal lacing. The aroma is citrus, caramel malt, with floral notes. The flavor is grapefruit, grass, pine, and herbs. Packs a punch for a session style, bitter hops aftertaste, resinous mouthfeel. A good low ABV beer overall

07/30/2016