Same Day IPA
Station 26 Brewing Co.

these guys are hands down making some of the best hoppy beer in colorado, so it was a bit of a surprise to me that their wet/fresh hop ipa, which i think this is, is just pretty good instead of epic and amazing and unforgettable and all of that. this is a clear and clean west coaster, an oily and dank sort of ipa type, pale maybe, with citra for sure, and likely others, but for me, this is juicy and ripe but also kind of sturdy and bitter, notes of floral honey, zested lemon and tangerine, and rich hoppy oils, but its not that complete. its missing something, and while its familiar and fresh and good, it doesnt quite pop me off. bitterness might be light, body might be heavy for what its trying to be, or even the freshness of these hops lets some of the concentrated preserved elements slip away, i dont exactly know, and while i dig this as a pint after pint early fall beer, it just seems to stagnate in the wrong place. i know why these guys are excited about it, i would be too if i made it, but its middle of the road as the fresh hop beers go this fall. its also a copycat move from a more notable national brewery...

edit: 2024 vintage totally different than what i remember, not even sure its a fresh hop beer, maybe it never was, just from tank to bar same day maybe, which is cool, but i am raising some scores for sure either way, this is impossible clean, delicate for an ipa, low on bitterness really, and loaded with lush herbal and citrus notes, absolutely popping. an incredibly light malt base, pils-like, no color, no sweetness, very little body. the hops throw notes of clean lemon, zested key lime, and even coconut, really good, early on the palate and with a real clean finish. its crazy drinkable, fizzy, fast finishing, and pairs really well with grilled, spicy, and rich foods, very diverse on the table, lovely with everything we ate at work and class where this was on tap. way better than i remember, so good!

On tap at Stanley Beer Hall, delivered from Station 26 and tapped within hours for GABF; poured into a pint glass.
Appearance- hazy straw yellow, light bubbles and thin white head that leaves an abundance of lattice work lacing.
Smell- nice citrus notes but just faint, primarily grapefruit.
Taste- this was as fresh as it gets; fantastic blend of fresh ruby red grapefruit, pine and herb!
Feel - very hop forward; tangy grapefruit bitterness with a rush of citrus fruit juice!
Overall- so incredibly tasty when an IPA is as fresh as this! A bit pricey, but worth it, though I want my IPA's to also be strong in the nose to really qualify as top notch, but I'm nitpicking.