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18th Street Brewery - Gary Taproom

 

Pours a cloudy, golden amber coloration with a medium, fluffy head. Smells of biscuity, slightly caramelly malt and floral, resinous, citrus/tropical hops, with notes of tangerine, pineapple and pine. Taste is a great balance of biscuity, slightly caramelly malt and fruity, floral, resinous hops, with citrus and tropical notes of grapefruit, tangerine and pineapple, as well as some pine also coming through. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some tangerine, pineapple and pine lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This is the first proper WCIPA I've had in a while and maybe I'm overrating it slightly simply because I get to drink so few great examples of the style, but these are so hard to come by in Germany and I've really enjoyed it. There's good balance of malt and hops to this, with a light caramel backbone and nice, resinous bitterness, as well as some citrus and lighter tropical fruit notes. Overall, this makes for a great West Coast IPA despite being brewed with Amarillo hops, a variety I don't typically enjoy for the style.

 

 

 

 

 

This one pours a light golden color. A bit on the cloudy side. Nice thick 3 finger head dissipates pretty quickly leaving just some splotchy foam on top of the beer.

Aroma has notes of pine and floral hops, underlying notes of grapefruit and tangerine.

Taste follows the nose with notes of tangerine, grapefruit and floral hops giving way to a strong pine note that sticks around into and through the finish. The hops dominant this beer and there is just about no malt present in the flavor profile. Really nice.

Feel is light to medium bodied with crisp carbonation. There is a certain warming sensation to this one that I found interesting.

Overall I was really impressed with this one - its a great WCIPA.

 

Pours light golden. Enjoyable head. Nice hops. Rather smooth but with a bite. Satisfying but not super exotic.

High B- / WORTHY

Poured from a 16 oz (473 ml) can into a shaker pint; canned 06/05/2019.
A: Pours a hazy, golden toward amber color with a creamy, one finger, white head, rim and cap retention, but limited but present lacing.
S: Aromas of citrus (grapefruit), caramel, pine, and cocoa.
T: Semidry. Flavor largely mirrors the nose. Strong, but not overwhelming, bitterness consistent with the West Style.
M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. A little juicy.
O: Interesting and drinkable.

 

A: The beer is a bit hazy yellow in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that quickly died down, leaving a large patch of bubbles on the surface and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of orange citrus are present in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of orange citrus and floral hops along with a light to moderate amount of bitterness. There are underlying hints of caramel malts.
M: It feels medium-bodied and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer isn't as hoppy compared to other beers in the style but has a good balance of orange citrus and floral hops.

Serving type: can

 

 

 

16oz can, date stamped 4/26/19. Thanks to Ken for giving me a can to try. Mildly hazed copper colored ale with a thick pillow of ivory foam that holds good retention. Citrusy aroma fills the nose with orange, grapefruit, and pine with a hint of tropical fruit. Full flavored and quite bitter with notes of pine resin, orange and grapefruit pith and zest, mango, caramel, bread crust, and toasty grain. Full body, creamy yet resinous, moderate carbonation, dry and pungently bitter finish with pine and grapefruit zest lingering. Solid west coast IPA here!