Red Clay IPA
Sunken City Brewing Company

 

 

L: Poured from a can to a pint glass. Had a nice amber color and a clear texture. There was small amount of foamy head that quickly dissipated. Sparse lacing.

S: A decent aroma of hops, malt, a lot of pine, and caramel.

T: Tasted of a fair bit of the caramel, light malt notes, a lot of hops (more than I generally care for), a tinge of pine, an oddly nutty quality, and a hint of citrus (grapefruit). In general, this is a solid flavor, but nothing really jumps out at you. Still, it's likable enough.

F: A fair amount of carbonation with a somewhat too-bitter finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Perhaps I've had far too many IPAs. This is not as bad as the overall score suggests, but it doesn't separate itself from the universe of IPAs out there.

 

 

 

 

 

Amber color and nearly clear. Decent head with lasting power. Plentiful spots on the glass.

Caramel aroma with a weedy hop nose. Balanced but not really inviting.

The Sunken City beers are earthy overall and this one fits that profile. The hop is biting and vegetal. Not as bitter as most IPAs. Body and carbonation is near average.

 

Poured from can into IPA glass. It pours an attractive reddish-amber color with one-finger of khaki-colored head and lacing. Its primary smell is malt with discernible caramel and grapefruit. Although the malt base is solid, the bitter hops are present throughout. You can also taste caramel and nuts. It has a candy bar like quality. What seems to be missing is the grapefruit. This ale is medium in body, moderate in carbonation, and the 7% ABV seems just right. Overall, Red Clay is a good example of the maltier IPA's that are prevalent in the South. If you prefer West Coast-style hop bombs, then you might want to pass on this one. If, like me, you like the maltier style, then you will probably enjoy this one. Someday I hope to try it on draught.

Very dark for an IPA, between an amber and a brown, off white Lacey head. West coast hops smell with a faint hint of BO. The taste is just slightly less intense than a true west coast IPA, but about what you'd expect. Nice, drinkable, would definitely have again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A below-average IPA. Run-of-the-mill hop profile, coupled with a generic and too strong caramel malt taste. I understand that this is a fairly young brewery, but this tastes like a test batch that they unintentionally canned.