Oregon Alley IPA
The Dayton Beer Company

 

So, every year or two I head out to see an old college buddy I knew from my days on the wrestling team at the University of Dayton. Go Flyers! Every time for almost twenty years, I stock up on Midwest microbrew at Belmont Party Supply and this local brew was part of this year's haul. Pours a big head with medium staying power and lace. Nose is citrus with a bread and butter note. Lupulin dust comes through as it warms. Pine comes a little later.

The flavor brings the pine in a sustained coverage throughout, with plenty of citrus coming through in the finish. Resin is key here. Texture is medium but alcohol burn isn't noticeable, considering the octane. If I still called the Gem City home, I would drink the shit out of this.

Purchased as a single can from Kroger for $1.69. Poured into a nonic pint glass.

L - Light and slightly cloudy copper with a two-finger fluffy off-white head.
S - Clean, but very hoppy. Pine sap, citron, and a slight bit of grapefruit peel. Almost sweet aroma.
T - Despite it being 99 IBU, it isn't really bitter. This is a really pine-forward imperial IPA. Finish is lemon and orange rind.
F - Medium body, light carbonation. Very drinkable, but a little boozy towards the end of the glass.
O - A pretty good all-around imperial IPA. Nothing really stands out to me aside from all the pine, but I wouldn't turn down a can of the stuff.

 

 

I got a can of this off the single shelf from a Kroger just down the road from south metro ice in Dayton,OH. It poured a hazy orangish with white head that is leaving some lace. The scent had ripe fruit. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with bitter citrus flare. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its a good beer.

Pour is a burnt copper color, some hop haze, and a billowy light tan head. Piney hop notes dominate the nose, and there’s a significant caramalt aroma, too.

The taste is filled with resiny pine hops that impart a magnificent bitterness, and then the caramalt cuts in to lead this to a (relatively) smooth finish. An excellent old school IPA, IMHO.

Canned 8/14/17
Clear straw w/ white 1 finger head.
Nose is pine and crackers, someone subdued.
Taste is a grassy, demand dank, with a sweet cracker like malt.
Feel is full body, and crisp, average carb.
Overall... I wish I bought more of these. Nice to find a pine/grass forward IPA in a world dominated by fruity everything. Would never guess this was 8% either, well done.

Canned 7/12/17, consumed 7/28/17. It had a decent aroma, taste was not what I expected based on description. Update - be sure to drink very cold, had a can yesterday after picking up at store and i couldn't finish the can. Tried today , tasted like a different beer. Had hints of pine, but not something I would purchase again.

12oz can, no apparent freshness date, poured into a tulip
A: Hazy brown wuth a one-finger head
S: Malty with some tropical fruit from the hops
T: Matches the nose - the hops mostly contribute tropical fruit, a touch of pine with a fairly sweet malty body that makes up the majority of the palate
M: Full-bodied, fairly sweet
O: I'd prefer it if the malt were dialed back a bit allowing more of the hops to show. Certainly no flaws and tasty overall

Makes life better.

 

Canned on 8/22/16. 12oz can poured into a tulip. Pours a murky burnt orange with lots of sediment/floaties and a light off-white head that fades leaving nice retention and solid lacing. The aromas seem to be all malts. Lots of caramel. Some pine and spruce notes. I'm also picking up some sweet apple cider notes. The flavors are malt forward as well. Very strong malt backbone. I'm picking up some apple notes. More caramel with some hints of toffee. There's an earthy bitterness. It's not sweet despite all of the malts. It's surprisingly refreshing. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's very smooth and easy to drink.

This is an interesting DIPA. I'm personally not crazy about it. It's still not bad at all despite not really possessing the characteristics that you would expect from the style.

 

 

12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 4/18/2016. Pours hazy/cloudy deep orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, pine, caramel, toasted bread, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and compelxity of citrus/pine hops and moderate dark/bready malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, pine, caramel, toasted bread, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Good amount of pine/citrus rind bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon/orange rind, pine, toasted bready, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/pine hops and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and minimal lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitterness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, sticky/resinous, and fairly creamy/grainy balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a nice DIPA. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/pine hops and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV. A nicely enjoyable offering.