Rudeneja
Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Appearance: Poured with a solid thumbs worth of head that left some mild lace, and stuck around till the half way mark. The body is a hazy amber with a few notes of crimson red. Solid stuff, but could lace more.

Smell: Hop forward as pine and cedar is the dominant note forward, but I do catch some toffee malt desperately trying to fight out of the background, which I think is having a tempering effect. Potency is there from the get go and warming doesn't really help or make it evolve in any way I could tell.

Taste: Starts with mild toffee malt with only the barest touch of resinous hops but it doesn't last as they quickly take over the beer. I will say they are somewhat restrained by the malt, which I prefer, but it's still too hop forward for my liking.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation is solid though the entire beer, it's just assertive enough to showcase everything. The aftertaste is an odd one for me. I don't like how bitter it is, but it's a nice mix of the dry resinous hops and that mild malt presence. I'll also note, that while it persists, except for the first few sips, you don't get a weird clinginess to your palate. It's very much like the beer is trying to restrain itself, but can't quite manage it. The transitioning is fine, it's just a bitterness curve, nothing to write home about.

Drinkability: Again it's too bitter for my liking and the dry note hamstrings it's ability to refresh. Medium body and it settles down very well, but this isn't something I think I'd want to have straight up. That said, I'm not much of an IPA fan, so take from that what you will.

Final Thoughts: This beer is in an odd spot for me. I'm not a big fan of IPAs, but this beer seems to be a great case of a brewer knowing how to put a dog a leash (the dog here being the hop bitterness) and opting to put a big dog on that leash. It's still a big dog, so you are a bit cautious, but you know he's a good boy, even if dogs aren't your thing. This beer solo isn't for me, and most of this review is about the beer as it stands alone. However, I will say, this beer pairs very well with spicy dishes (gumbo with hot sauce in my case) as the bitterness and the spiciness have a playful tug of war over the palate, with each side last engaged in winning, but not wholly defeating the other.