Feast Like A Sultan IPA
Laughing Sun Brewing Company

 

The first sip of this I didn’t like very much ... but then it grew on me. It progresses from initial fruit flavors to a bitter piney finish. Happy to find such an interesting beer from the great state of North Dakota.

 

 

Look: cloudy straw with orange tint
Smell: apple, strawberry, pound cake, pine needle
Taste: very bitter, grapefruit
Feel: heavy creamy dry
Overall: very good

Note: sixer I got is registered as 6.8 abv

This was first dive into North Dakota beers on our trek to Teddy Roosevelt National Park. To be honest, I was not expecting much from this state that rose above pedestrian home brewing, but was pleasantly surprised by this IPA. There is nothing especially exciting here, but this beer is all around solid and a perfect flagship IPA. The hops easily subdue the malts, yet the malts stay relevant in the mix. Terrific mouth feel, almost chewy. Hop taste is fruit at first, but quickly turns sharp into bitter. Smells strongly citrus to the point that I knew I’d enjoy it before it ever hit my tongue. Nice start North Dakota.

 

Nice golden color poured from 12oz can. This beer seems fitting to be from North Dakota. Fruity aromas definitely come through and the hops make it nice and bright, but the malt and grains are still present enough to give the beer a nice backbone. I find the mouth feel on this to be incredible. Upon pouring, the feel is slightly oily, but after a few sips, it opens up and the astringency is incredible. That accompanies the transition in the taste from a nice citrus taste to slightly bitter which you would expect from an IPA. The combination of hops gives it a very balanced hoppy flavor. Slightly bitter with nice fruit notes. All around a very nice and interesting beer.

Poured from 12oz can into glass. No canning date information found. Very pleased that Laughing Sun now has a distribution of self canned beers. Getting a growler fill never fit my travel schedule.
Clear, deep gold colored body. One finger of white head upon pouring recedes to thin cap and ring. Leaves behind an array of small lacing spots.
Citrus and passion fruit hops in the aroma, with the supporting malts sitting behind.
Taste of citrus and passion fruit hops, with a supporting malt backbone. Includes a late addition of pith bitterness, which trails through the after taste.
Medium mouth feel. Good carbonation.
Very good, solidly made IPA. of the West Coast style, but with a firm North Dakota nuance. Good transition from the slightly sweet citrus to the bold bitterness at the end.

 

Had this in the Laughing Sun pub. Great staff very knowledgeable about their beer.

Pours a clear copper gold with small head and lacing that lingers. Aroma is the only disappointing aspect of this beer - not much there. Taste is clean firm hop bittering with citrus hop flavors, great malt of biscuit and Carmel to support. Definitely a west coast IPA that’s well made. I would drink this all the time. Well done.

 

This pours a darker golden color, and fairly clear. The head was minimal, but white. Minimal lacing on the glass.
The nose is fairly rich with the standard hop aromas, though I also get a mango aroma.
The taste is somewhat mellow up front. The hop seems to kick in after with a nice biterness. After that I get a slight sweetness.
Moderate feel, but I do like that I can feel the hops all the way down.
I do like this IPA. Nice balanced flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

since i have had basically no beer from north dakota (maybe none at all in fact), this was exciting for me to get to taste. a well made, sturdy ipa that fits the style well but has its own unique wrinkles. blonde in color, especially for the style, looks like it is going to let the hops do the majority of the flavoring, while the grains (at least in looks) seem to be just a light base. the nose agrees, as hops are really all i can smell. the mix of varietals is nice though, and it comes through a little fruity sweet, and with some more herbal hay-like characteristics as well, complex and layered, not overly bitter. the flavor shows the hops just like the nose does, and it goes for miles. about mid palate the pale malt grain flavors have given way to the fruitier side of the hop spectrum, which then moves into a plant-like fleshy feeling almost vegetal second, before the bitterness and grassy noble type hop complexion turns on. its a fun journey this one, and a trip rewarded with a healthy buzz, the alcohol is felt but not tasted here. my first beer from laughing sun was a very pleasant surprise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Pours a hazy dark golden yellow to copper in color with light to moderate amounts of visible carbonation and some orange highlights. The beer has a two finger tall dense foamy light beige head that slowly reduces to a thick film covering the majority of the surface of the beer with a couple of slightly thinner spots and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of tropical/mango and tropical/passionfruit hops over the top of a much lighter aroma of slightly sweet caramel malts. There are also some moderate notes of citrus/grapefruit hops.

T: Upfront there is a light to moderate flavor of slightly sweet caramel malts that is underneath the much larger hops flavors - significant amounts of tropical/mango and tropical/passionfruit hops with a moderate amount of citrus/grapefruit. Light to moderate amounts of bitterness that does not linger too long.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly slick/oily with a hint of dryness in the finish.

O: Overall this is a nicely balanced IPA without too much bitterness - the malts and the hops really work well together to deliver a very flavorful and wonderful smelling beer that is easy to drink and enjoy.