Downpour Fresh Hop Extra India Pale Ale
Elevation Beer Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

750ml brown glass bottle with branded hood-and-wire cap over a cork acquired from a friend and served into a conical Guinness pint glass in me parents’ gaff in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado during my annual Christmas tasting. Reviewed live. Expectations are average given the brewery. 8.3% ABV per the label. 2013 vintage (bottled 09/18/13. 75 IBUs. Reviewed as an IPA because the label identifies it as a fresh hop extra IPA.

Served cold – straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: No bubble show forms as it’s poured.

Pours a 1 finger wide head of white colour. Nice thickness and creaminess. Smooth consistency. No real lacing coats the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Head retention is above average - about 3 minutes.

Body colour is a translucent transaparent copper of above average vibrance. No floating yeast particles are visible; it's quite clean.

Overall, it’s an appealing appearance for an IPA. I’m looking forward to trying it.

Sm: Floral and herbal hop character. Pale malts. Some caramalt. Light vague citrus - maybe grapefruit.

A pleasant aroma of mild strength. No yeast character or alcohol is detectable.

T: Pleasant. Enjoyable. But a bit boring and bland. There's floral and herbal hop character. Hints of spruce. Pale malts. Caramalt. Too much untamed bitterness comes through for the balance to be ideal. Might be better fresh. Build is fairly cohesive but not gestalt. Decent complexity. Fair subtlety. Doesn't have much nuance or intricacy. Decent amplitude. A bit too heavy on the caramalt for an IPA.

Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour. There's just nothing remarkable about it.

No yeast character or alcohol comes through. I wouldn't say I like it per se, but I don't dislike it.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Nice body and presence. Okay thickness. Suits the flavour profile generally well but doesn't come off custom-tailored to it.

Not oily, astringent, gushed, hot, boozy, or harsh.

Dr: Downable but forgettable. I wouldn't want it again, nor would I recommend it to friends, but I am curious how it drinks a bit more fresh. I'm glad I got to try it, but it just isn't remarkable. Hides its ABV well.

C

 

not sure if this technically falls into the wet hop category or not, I don't think so, but I don't know. reddish copper color to this, with a lot of haze and a lot of body. less than an inch of cream colored head, but its easily roused with a gentle twirl of the glass. quality is evident. aromatics of English ale yeast, bitter hops, pale and caramel type malts. ill tell you what I am tired of though, balanced ipa. stop with this hoax, give me hops forward ipa, especially people, with fresh hops. this is far too balanced in flavor to let the hops shine. I get some oil and some dankness, but I also get a lot of sweetness from the grain, and that numbing ale yeast from overseas. the flavor is really really good, but its too balanced for what it claims to be. it was excellent with honey habanero smoked chicken, and has a big enough body and crispness to stand up to that profile. elevation makes nothing but excellent beer, I just wish they would have committed to a hop bomb here. even still a very enjoyable offering, perhaps the last of the freshies for this season.

 

 

 

750ml bottle $10.99 . I am a sucker for fresh hopped beers so against my better judgement I bought this beer. When will I learn? Orange color with a big head, lots of lace. Aroma is a bit of alcohol, a touch of earthy hops, not much to it. Flavor is very fruity, like a jolly rancher almost, some green herb like tastes, slightly astringent and super bitter finish. This is not a bad beer but it certainly isn't worth $11 and it's really not that great as far as IPA's go.