Mama Tried
Brazos Valley Brewing Company

RB transfer

This is the IPA that first introduced me to Brazos Valley. Pours clear with a light floral, piney note on the nose. The sip is pine forward, with a grapefruit bitters-like suggestion rounding it out. This was a good one.

Fine light amber body, clear; thick, frothy head, white and a bit of creaminess and long lasting. Excellent nose of fresh mandarin orange. The taste delivers and nice citrus bite; juicy orange; moderate sense of hop bitterness. Medium body with a refined acidic sharpness on the palate; juicy yet bordering on dry with the Citra hops.

This is another new Texas brewery (to me) and chosen blindly. I made a great choice. The beer burst with flavor and aroma and has a somewhat unique yet very pleasant mouthfeel. A must try if you like citrus fruit yet want a more west coast IPA appearance and feel instead of another hazy India pale ale.

ABV: 6.6%; pouring temperature: n/a; canning info: n/a
Source: Texaco station off of US 290 on the east end of Giddings, TX

With too many fruited IPA’s a good 55 IBU “dry” beer is most welcome. With greater availability this could be my new favorite beer. This is what I expect from a true India Pale Ale

Medium gold (color blind, so a best guess), moderate haze. Head pours thick and white but dissipates. It leaves behind a thing cap with moderate lacing.

Aroma is initially biscuity malt and caramel. Piney hops and generic sweet tropical fruit aromas follow. Letting it sit a bit, I get grapefruit pith and pineapple. When rousing the head, there is a very slight sulfur fault. It doesn't detract from the beer (very minor).

Palate follows the nose, but the malt is slightly less dominant. Sweet biscuity malt, dank hoppiness. Very Resinous. There is an ephemeral berry like impression on the mid palate. Some pineapple in the finish, which leads into a lasting resinous bitterness that coats the palate.

Moderate carbonation, with a moderately full body. The arrival is on the sweet side for an IPA, which doesn't quite match the long resinous bitter finish. I feel like it would be better balanced if it were slightly more attenuated (drier, less sweet). It's not bad overall, and tastes good, it's just not well balanced. This malt character would be perfect for a less bitter beer, OR for a larger DIPA.