Blood Orange IPA with Agave
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

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.

RB transfer

 

 

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.