Bier Baron
Warped Wing Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the classic flavor of IPA running its course, brewers often turn their attention to the unconventional, to the gimmick, to the experimentation to allow their brands to stand out in some way. Warped Wing brewers choose a familiar IPA malt schedule but with a Germanic hop regimen but to the utmost extreme.

Floral, herbal, grassy and caramel-like to the nose, the beer's nose is of earth and soft grains while a hazy honey-amber glow appears underneath. Sweet to taste, its caramels, biscuits, honey, and toasted nuttiness comes out to play early on the tongue.

Gentle sweetness laps onto the tongue, washing it with medium caramel and cashew. What follows is a retreat of gain and sweetness but a growing sense of hoppiness. Where normal IPA relies on citrus, pine and resins, this variety instead is herbal, grassy and floral with sassafras, green tea, bamboo and with a spicy bitterness to close.

Medium-bodied, the linger of malt is partly of pilsner and partly of toasted breadiness resulting in a large fest-style maltiness. Lemongrass, tea, gin and peppercorn decorate the finish while an aftertaste of tea and pepper loom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10oz pour into a small stemmed glass. On tap at Meadowlark in Kettering.

Appearance: Clear Amber. Thin white foam across the top. Some small strands of lacing.

Smell: Clean – not a lot of aroma but a hint of malt with some herbal/floral notes and faint pine. The pine was stronger when first poured and the beer was still cold.

Taste: The up front taste is an Oktoberfest Marzen, and then American hops hit at the finish, with pine flavors dominating. This beer is listed on the website as a Belgian IPA, but there is no Belgian character to it. It’s more German with an American hop accent.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation, but just right. Smooth, just a tad sticky.

Overall / Drinkability: Based upon what I saw on the menu, this was described as a Bavarian IPA, and it does come across that way, with aspects of an American hoppy IPA at the finish in taste, but the nose and up front taste of a Marzen. My first initial sips when poured were “no, this isn’t right – where’s the noble hops?!?” but as I took more sips and it warmed up, it grew on me. A nice beer that I’ll have to look for again. It went very well with food (lemon pasta) and I think could be good by itself as well.