Steadfast Gluten-Free IPA
Steadfast Beer Co.

DATE: April 30, 2020... OCCASION: the last day of a quarantined April ends with a new addition to Beer Advocate, as this one apparently has escaped the discerning eye of our fan base--no longer.... GLASSWARE: Maudite snifter...first crack, and sure as sorghum, a foaming eruption barely makes it to the glass---not the first gluten-free can to have such a welcome...at close proximity, this looks every inch an IPA, its orange amber body rife with tiny bubbles feeding thick, soapy, clumpy white head resilient enough to hold two fingers....its webbing is likewise clumpy--attractive... the lemon, orange, grapefruit, and earthy herbs likewise engage... its resin likewise has a west coast lean, though lacking malt might force any IPA to sway that way... molasses and brown sugar are on its label, but I detect only faint wafts of their sweetness... the sorghum is dialed back to an afterthought, which, having had many GFers, I can appreciate... the first lift is medium-bodied, sippable if not friendly, textured through the mouth and dryer at the throat... teeth rattle, yes, and a happy Pavlovian watering occurs too... the orange, lemon and grapefruit smack into the molasses and brown sugar here, a powerful experience that somehow becomes floral (the sorghum?) without the nuttiness... the juiciness expands, making this a dessert of sorts--or a morning mashup of fruit, sugar and syrup? I am in for this, despite what that might sound like. I applaud Steadfast for this one--a step up and onward from their pale ale, and its ABV is substantial enough to be a switch from Stone's Delicious when something heavier is requested or required... to keep a level rating field, I won't overrate this one, but considering it is gluten-free, it avails itself more than enough against your average IPA, as well as some of the better ones...