Ecotopia
Santiam Brewing Company

 

Look: Semi-clear amber/red with a nicely formed off-white head that settles in, leaving good lacing behind
Aroma: Grapefruit, orange, pine needles, some dank, rich and sweet bready malt, earthy hop notes, and somewhat spicy hop notes as well
Taste: Orange/pine/grapefruit bomb up front with some dank and warm bready notes quickly joining in. Really fresh hop notes intermingle and carry the middle (resinous, dank, earthy) before a great bite leads to a dry finish
Mouthfeel: Full bodied, medium to medium-high carbonation, some silkiness in the middle, and finishes dry
Overall: Awesome stuff. This definitely has an old-school C-hop-like profile going on but the notes are so ‘in-your-face’ that this wouldn’t be mistaken for an old-school IPA. Really tasty and excellent balance as well with plenty of bite and dryness so as not to fatigue my palate. Delicious and highly recommended

Imperial Pint served at the brewery,
$6
On keg, pours a darker orange/amber colour..with a small dirty white head.
aromas of pine shoots and orange pith..strong chewy caramel malts.
Taste is similar to the aromas...with the pine to the front.
Great well balanced mouth feel to this one.
a good balanced PNW IPA

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium to dark coppery amber with a one finger white head with great retention and lacing; looks nice. Aroma of caramel malt, dank and mildly citrus hops with a little whiff of skunkiness on opening, some spicy black tea with a little earthiness, smells interesting. Flavor is mildly caramel and bready malt with a faint earthy biscuit note, grassy and piney hops, hints of tropical fruit; develops a sharp and resinous hopiness into the finish leaving a long lingering alpha hop presence. Medium bodied with light creaminess, good mouth feel. Although presented as a West Coast style IPA, this seems to me more like a hybrid between an English style IPA and a West Coast IPA; the hops have the pine and faint citrus as well as sturdy caramel malt, but also grassy hops notes and a little English biscuit malt. It's an interesting malt and hop combination, although the finish is a little stark in its intense hop bitterness. After my taste had been adjusted to the alpha hop oils, the flavors of this IPA were more interesting and I really enjoyed finishing this one. I'll try future offerings from Santiam if I run across them.

 

 

 

 

 

Clear amber orange with less than one finger of white head. Minor lacing left as head recedes.
Smell is bready malts some floral hop notes and the house ale yeast.
Taste is a leather like hop flavor with more than average malt levels.
Mouthfeel is close to medium. It has a lightly dry bitter finish.
Overall a good example of a Northwest IPA. The house ale yeast which is mainly a British style reminds me of some of the better English IPAs.