05|03 India Pale Ale (Amarillo & Mosaic)
Brew By Numbers

 

Purchased at the BBNo Brewery in London recently; bottle-conditioned in a 330ml brown bottle, bottled on 09/10/2013, BB 09/01/2014, served lightly chilled in a straight pint glass. Notes: interestingly, despite the label stating Amarillo & Mosaic, the side label specifies Amarillo & Citra hops are used instead?

A: pours a cloudy murky amber colour with a well-lasting off-white frothy head and fairly healthy flows of carbonation.
S: pretty sharp comes the fruity hoppiness, with a little overripe pineapple note on top of green guava, sweet citrus fruits and sweet pale malts (Munich malt is used, according to the beer label); given a good swirl, the rich and juicy grapefruits and gooseberries emerge, adding an extra layer to the overall performance. Very nice and focused on the hop bill.
T: lightly carbonated, the foretaste is so heavenly… it is dry, resinous, earthy, tropical fruity, aromatically & moderately malty, without too much sweet fruity elements, while the malt bill is kept clean and light (not TOO light, just about right), leaving the hop resins and sharp&chewy hop bitterness to reign in the latter half of each sip. The finish is generally clean and well-attenuated, while the cloudy yeast elements add a bit more bitterness to the overall enjoyment.
M&O: the mouthfeel comes smooth and yet refreshing at the same time, aided by the nice bottle-conditioning. This medium-bodied, full-flavoured and richly hoppy IPA ticks all boxes as a good example of how this modern take on the style should be made, utilising the full potential of exotic hops, be it Mosaic OR Citra… (so which one is used, exactly??)