IPA
Tributary Brewing Co.

Pours golden with white head. Some tropical fruit on the nose. It's light bodied, but i9t has some pineapple, and some passionfruit. It's a solid IPA.

 

Moderately dark amber color (for an IPA), with a slight haze - but it's not a murkbomb. Excellent head production and retention; spotty scattered lacing.

Balanced hop aroma, with notes of citrus, pine, and a touch of tropical fruit. Mild caramel notes from the malt base.

Similar presentation on the palate: balanced, hoppy, solid malt base, mild to moderate sweetness, and moderate bitterness. Very much in line with the WC-style. Crisp and smooth; a touch too creamy, perhaps, for a WC or American IPA (as opposed to a NE IPA, or an IPA with oats or wheat). Slightly dry finish.

This is a very nice, well-rounded IPA. Nothing mind blowing, novel, or unique, but a very solid beer overall.

Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Canned Nov 17th 2021.

Lush rich looking body, of beaming perfect clear amber. Deep orange even red with chestnut to lemon and brown highlights, slow amounts of large linear bubbles, all reaching to a big creamy off white head. Big retention and a pock marked top that just wont budge. Great looking IPA.

Delicious aroma, with hints of caramel and toffee crispness mixing with a balance hop angle that seems East coast classic with a bit more care. Pine soft earth with perfume flavors of soft sage and even mint. Real nice.

Palate is a delight. Light tea like orange and pine bitterness mixing with an excellent touch of crackling caramel malt flavor. Delicious finishing touches of tangerine orange and herbal mint, but with light character in feel and malt body. Soft earthy tones that mix with an excellent pine bitterness that feels like a mint breath of fresh air.

Great tasting IPA.

 

 

Mandarina, Melon and Blanc hops this batch

 

 

 

 

Growler from the source.
Slightly hazy light golden color with a huge frothy white head that slowly recedes. Earthy citrus and light pine on the nose with bits of bread and light caramel to counter. Really tasty but a hint on the sweet side for my tastes.

 

 

 

From a 32oz growler, purchased at the brewery 05/07/16. Served in a (Tributary!) tulip. Consumed 05/09/16. Yes, it's 9 a.m. - don't judge me.

Pours a cheerful, slightly hazy pumpkin color with a short-lived two finger head of tight suds which leaves some sheets of lacing.

The smell is bright and fruity, caramel apple, pineapple and peaches.

Taste starts sweet and biscuity and finishes with a brisk, satisfyingly bitter hop snap. Strawberries and grapefruit pith, resinous, with clean straw and fir.

Mouthfeel is clean, light-to-medium bodied, and beautifully carbonated.

If I describe this as a 'classic IPA,' I totally don't mean that it is an 'average' IPA. This is the exact and precise ideal of what I think an IPA should be, in every respect and, were I simply rating to style, I'd be compelled to give it 5's across the board. Alas, my tastebuds have been corrupted by too many murky-fruit punch-NE-style-IPA's and the fact that I give this beer anything less than a perfect score reflects more on me than on this beer. Because I can find no fault with it.

(I sampled this IPA along with its big brother DIPA in a flight at the brewery and, although I didn't take notes at the time, I remember much preferring this one - enough, at least, that, despite normally having a strong bias toward DIPA's, this is the one I brought home with me).