All PA IPA
Otto's Pub and Brewery

 

Poured from a growler into an nonik pint glass (from Ikea.) Also had it a few days before in the pub, twice. My impression didn’t change, which is rare for beers which I have both from a cask at the brewery and later at home from a growler.

I’m going to start with my overall impression, because it so defined this beer for me and overwhelmed (in a good sense) all the other details.

O: Everything about this beer screams “evergreen trees.” I feel transported to an evergreen forest. One of the most unique IPAs I’ve ever had (at Otto‘s and elsewhere.) If you have a chance, try it! This is the beer for which I created a Beeradvocate account, after many years of lurking.

A: Just what you’d expect from a great, unfiltered IPA: medium-thickness, dense, off-white head; decent retention; beautiful, persistent lacing. Perhaps a touch yellower (as in less orange) than many (American) IPAs. Reminds of some Cornish golden ales.

S: Before I took the first sip, there was this overwhelming sense of evergreen trees. I feel like I can smell a freshly cut Christmas tree. Underneath there are more traditional notes of resin, fresh bread (English shortbread?), toast, hops, and something else that’s fresh and “green.”

T: Like biting into a spruce twig (one imagines.) This is one of those rare cases where the taste exactly matches the smell. I just can’t shake this overwhelming sense of spruce or fir. Underneath there is pleasant oiliness, decent carbonation, moderate alcohol, all very well balanced so nothing distracts from this awesomely unique taste. The (very beer-geeky) server described this beer as “floral”, which I’m not getting at all.