Blood Orange IPA with Agave
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

 

 

There is something about the way these ingredients went together in this brew that yields an unexpected old school feeling. There are plenty of IPA's that have tried blood orange, and also a bunch with agave. The combo in this ale give back a brew that is a bit simpler and drier than you might expect.

It pours a nice dark yellow with some fizz. The aroma is of ale with a slight bit of fruit. The initial taste is surprising. The blood orange and agave adjuncts are way down in the taste, so your taste buds don't have a clear path to figure out what you are drinking. It ends up taste rather reminiscent of stale ale. It had me checking the bottle, but the date was not legible.

Not recommended.

 

 

 

Appearance: Cloudy golden, with an average head and no lace.

Aroma: Juicy orange and citrus.

Taste: Again, juicy is the word here. Lots of orange and citrus alongside a sweet honey (agave) maltiness and a bitter finish. Plenty tasty here and packing lots of easy-drinking flavor.

 

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Clear light golden pour with 1.5 fingers of fluffy white head. Falls fast... nice ring of lacing.

S: Almost musty... orange/citrus... what I presume is agave in the background. Perfume-ish a bit.

T/F: Sweet and grainy... the orange is definitely present. Citrusy hops... tastes better than it smells but sweetness a bit cloying... again almost a floral/perfume feel. Relatively light bodied. Well carbonated.

O: Meh. Victory has made a lot of solid IPA's. This one is near the bottom of the heap and very glad I only picked up a single. Not really my thing.

If hops are supposed to carry a distinct citrus aroma and favor, then why not just just citrus fruit as an ingredient in the beer? That's the question that prompts Victory brewers to roll out a dry, crisp and blood orange laden ale in a display that only IPA can provide.

Simply named Blood Orange IPA, but with Agave, pours with a slightly orang tinged golden color that's just off of amber and copper. Its frothy off white crown brings the beer to life with an abundance of orange aromas along with their leafy, stemmy and tea-like vegetation. Modestly sweet, notions of caramel, honey and agave add a curious granola flavor on the early palate.

With its sweetness retreating, the beer's flavor engulfs the middle palate with radiant, branch ripe blood orange and a distant backdrop of grapefruit, peach and mango. Trending grassy, sprucy and herbal, the late palate has the hops trending dry, bitter and peppery.

Medium bodied, the agave flavors render on the finish like simple syrups, providing only tepid support for the hop bitterness and the orange's resinous, pithy and peppery bite. As the session comes to a close, a though of furniture polish comes to mind with the beer's strong pectin bite and its curaçao alcohol spice.

Smells more of malt than hops and citrus. Mild bitterness. Orange/citrus flavors are mild and help to add another layer. I agree with others comparisons to an almost artificial citrus flavor. Sticky and balanced mouthfeel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amber golden color with a thick thin head with short retention.
Aroma with predominant notes of grapefruit, pine-agave combination,
Flavor with notes of spices, agave, blood orange, bread and perfume. Quite dry aftertaste with a good bitterness.
Medium body with appropriate carbonation. Alcohol of 7% is relatively hidden.
Citrusy, perfumy and bitter sweet American IPA the delivered what was promised. Though not sure the flavors were bonded in harmony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2/17/18 draft @ BLU Jazz

 

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 5/13/2018. Pours slightly hazy medium golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of juicy blood oranges, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, peach, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, light pepper/pine, honey, agave, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/fruity hops, blood oranges, and moderate pale malt/agave notes; with solid strength. Taste of juicy blood oranges, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, peach, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, light pepper/pine, honey, agave, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel, herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness; and slight fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of blood oranges, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, peach, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, light pepper/pine, honey, agave, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity hops, blood oranges, and moderate pale malt/agave flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero astringent hop/fruit flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, bready/grainy, and fairly sticky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is a nice fruited IPA. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity hops, blood oranges, and moderate pale malt/agave flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the tame bitter/drying finish. This was definitely on the sweet side, but not overwhelming. Nice balance of juicy hops/fruit; with balanced agave/pale malt flavors. A nicely enjoyable offering.

 

Leah really likes this! Super fresh. On tap at Industry Public House.

 

I have been a long-time fan of Victory B.C. & their beers so that when something new becomes available from them, whether in a bottle or a CAN, I try to purchase one just to keep up.

From the bottle: "This rose-colored IPA explodes with citrus aromas, flavors of blood orange, and smooth maltiness. A balanced finish ends with a sweetness from the agave syrup.[;] Contents: 12 fl. oz.[;] Alcohol By Volume: 7.0%[;] Brewmasters' Approval: [signed] Bill [&] Ron".

Time for another Pop! of the cap, followed by a gentle pour & an in-glass swirl. The finger of foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head dissipated fairly quickly, but it left behind some nice lacing as a legacy. Color was Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7), causing The Gelt Gang of Mammon, Midas & Croesus to rush in from my living room, where they were watching the 2018 Winter Olympics on TV. Nose had a perfume-y sweetness, orange-y, but not entirely citrusy. Hmm. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, not watery, but kinda light for the style. The taste was oddly bitter, more like pith, rind & seeds than the fruit itself and with the same off-putting perfuminess that I noted on the nose. These are not qualities of a quality AIPA. It was drinkable, but the flavors did not seem to be meshing well. It tasted closer to experimental homebrew than a commercially made AIPA. Finish was semi-dry, but I just kept coming back to the perfume-y quality, which I really disliked. Strike two!

 

12 oz bottle, enjoy by 5/13/18. Pours slightly hazy straw yellow with a medium creamy white head that retains fairly well and leaves a little lacing.

The aroma is very sweet fruit and agave.

The flavor is very sweet sugary honey and agave with a small bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, interesting but way too treacly sweet.

 

Enjoy by 6/3/18. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours golden with a subtle haze but still has some clarity to it; white head falls leaving nice retention and lacing. The aromas are citrus forward with lots of orange and fresh grass. Cracker and fresh bread is there along with some malts. The flavors basically follow the nose. The blood orange leads the way. More fresh cut grass. Moderate earthy bitterness. A touch of sweetness. More bread and crackers. Some floral notes in the mix. Malts do their thing. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with moderate to active carbonation. It's slightly spritzy, but fluffy. It's smooth and easy to drink.

This is an alright "fruit IPA". The blood orange might come off as having some "artificial" qualities, but it still drinks like a beer. It's refreshing.

 

Not so hoppy. Easy drinking.