Belgian IPA
Dragon's Gate Brewery

this place is amazing, and they are doing some really nice belgian beers in here, but this was arguably our least favorite, overly estery on the yeast like it was allowed to get a little too warm, and there is a slight clash with the hops that makes this a little soapy and overly floral to me, still a neat beer and interesting enough to stand out, especially being this strong, it actually hides its alcohol shockingly well. pretty rich color on it, bronze toned but high headed and lively looking, if a little meatier than anticipated. bit nose on this, hits all at once, juicy hops with sharp lemon and tangerine notes, a little herbal layer, and blooming fresh flowers, along with light spiciness from the yeast, a cooked pear ester, and something a little more in the laundry soap family, faint astringency to balance the sweetness of the grain and whatever extra sugar is in this, there almost has to be one. the flavor confirms what the nose sniffs out, too much stressed belgian yeast character running through this, not enough bitterness from the hops to balance how sweet it is, and it sort of feels like a big tripel rather than an ipa, even though the hops are there, they seem to almost play in the same space as the yeast does in the back half, strange and not totally agreeable, but i like the uniqueness of how the hops hit, the high carbonation, and the minerals underneath it all, and its in fact quite close to being awesome. better in the context of being an imperial, but still hiding its strength well. interesting stuff, but to me way less dialed in from a quality standpoint than almost everything else we drank in here. righteous spot, a must visit if in the area!