Source Blueberry IPA
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery

 

The appearance of honey. A brownish orange in color with a tower of smoky carbonation bubbles. A 4 finger light tan head becoming chunky as it recedes leaving rather light but intricate lacing. Hazy translucence.

Aroma of blueberry pie with a bit of tart and over ripe citrus with herbal hops.

Taste of fruity blueberry, bitter citrus peel, and herbal hops.

Full bodied with light to moderate carbonation. More drying than syrupy with light warmth.

An awesome beer! Rich in aroma, taste, and texture, this beer, along with Fresh Citra IPA, has catapulted LCCB to my favorite Virginia brewery.

 

 

I don't see any bottle date on the label or bottle.

Appearance: The body of the beer is a hazy, murky, dark burnt umber color. The head is an eggshell white color with good retention and some lacing.

Aroma: The entire room is filled with the aroma of blueberries. Long after pouring this beer the room still smells of blueberries. It's like having a Blueberry Yankee Candle in the room. I mean seriously it is insane how strong this is. Sniffing the glass...wow...just wow. There is this fruity hop aroma that just works wonderfully with the blueberry. I can pick up the actual fruity hop aroma with a bit of a minty edge. Inhaling deeply gives a sweet malt aroma just in the background. This all-around is a fantastic smelling beer.

Taste: Up front there is a good deal of bitterness; a bit like eating an orange pith. The blueberry is there but it isn't sweet. There is a touch of sweetness from the malt character. There's a bit of a resinous quality to the flavor as well giving it just a touch of pine sap and some mint at the finish. It is a very rich tasting beer. It's a sipper not because of high alcohol content but because of the richness in flavor. I feel it's important to note that this doesn't taste like a blueberry soda, blueberry pie, or blueberry candy. The blueberry is there but it's not overly sweet and at the same time it is in no way muted. It is present and mixes well with its partnered flavors. I wish I could describe the complexity and depth of this beer...with the strength and breadth of the flavors it's like being overwhelmed by aromas in a candle shop...but as a flavor instead of aroma.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is good. It has a nice bitterness which keeps the palate alive. Drinkability is moderately low because of the complexity of the beer. The previous statement is not a bad thing but it's not a beer that I would just sit down and easily drink. It's a beer that is enjoyed and

Overall: Pairing this beer with food would be hard. It could be paired but I wouldn't do it. It's a beer that deserves contemplation by itself and offers enough that nothing else is needed to enjoy this beer. Eating it with a sandwich would over-complicate the sandwich and eating it with a pie would overdo the fruit in the beer. Really this is a fantastic beer. I would recommend picking up a bottle of it and trying it out. It's the type of beer that is so unique that I would probably buy more to share with others than to drink for myself.

 

 

 

The bad news about this beer's aroma is how mild the hoppiness is. There are just a touch of earthy, piny hops floating around - that's it. The good news is how amazingly this brings the blueberry. This literally smells like blueberry pie. Not a beer with some blueberry qualities, I mean a full blown blueberry pie. It's not particularly complex, but wow does its fruitiness pop. As expected, the blueberry flavor isn't as explosive as the blueberry aroma. Who cares? There is a ton of blueberry flavor to start, with some additional tartness trailing into the long aftertaste. Despite being an IPA, the hop profile only serves to take the edge off of the intense fruit sweetness - and it works. This is very dry finishing for a fruit beer, though the textural thickness is on the full side. Carbonation is decent, though. Damn, this is making me a bit bummed I missed out on this at LCCB itself - this is one of the better fruit beers I've sampled to date. It isn't complex, but it brings the blueberry ridiculously well, and isn't disgustingly cloying to boot.

3.78/5: HERP DERP HOPS MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER

Poured a cloudy orange body with 2 finger head that stuck around and left lace ring. Blueberries dominate the aroma so I can't really discern the hops in the beer judging by aroma alone. Thankfully, the beer is more balanced and flavorful than just blueberries b/c there is a blueberry sweetness that intertwines with a dirty, earthy hoppiness. Interesting beer and enjoyable to drink but not a complex or hop heavy IPA, along with strong blueberry sweet malts, so don't expect a typical IPA.

Intense real blueberries on the nose was a real surprise. Taste is blueberry, transitioning to caramel malt like sweetness, with some piney bitterness cutting the sweetness a bit. Aftertaste is lingering blueberry. Sticky mouthfeel like a sweet pie. Unique and fun to drink.

 

 

Poured from a 750ml bottle into an oversized snifter.

L - Caramel in color, slight white head that fades to a ring, minimal lacing.

S - Tons of fresh, slightly sweet Blueberries.

T - Blueberry sweetness fills your mouth at first, followed by a minor hop bitterness that sticks around on the palate.

F - Juicy and full, slight dry tartness lingers.

O - Really a surprising and unique beer, probably the most Blueberry I've ever tasted, works well with the IPA style.

 

Really glad I found a bottle of this in distro. Pours a copperish color, with a slight purple hue. The nose is all blueberries and is one of the best smelling beers I've had. The blueberries initially dominate on the palate, but eventually give way to some piney hops and sticky sweetness. This is a really impressive effort between Lickinghole Creek and Three Notch'd.

 

A looooot of blueberry, not much IPA

Poured from a 750ml into a shaker pint, the beer is a muddled, caramel-copper coloring with a fluffy, light, off-white head. Aromas of richly sweet blueberries, with subtle roasted notes and a caramel backbone. Favors are richly sweet blueberry forward, with a solid roasted backbone of caramel and subtle bready notes. Subtle spice notes of nutmeg highlight the bready backbone, but this beer is all blueberry, and it's actually fruity blueberry notes, too. No syrups or adjuncts in this one. The body is smooth and full, with a subtle dry undertone. The aftertaste is all tart and sweet blueberry, with a smooth, slightly dry finish. Might be a bit of a misnomer calling this an IPA, but it's a damn tasty beer, regardless.

Exceptional mix of flavors. First beer I tried at the release pay and was glad for it. Pours a hazy gold. Blueberry pops in the smell and taste. Smooth and drinkable.