Root Bound
Alvarado Street Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

tons of hype around these guys and if this beer is any indication of that they are all about, rightly so. thanks to my homie and colleague for sharing, not sure when i might have encountered this can otherwise. cool art on it, cool aroma too, juicy and all, but different too, almost a savory complexion to the hops, something australian or even south african, different in the nose, short of spicy or overtly vegetal, but organic in that way. notes of yellow plum and hay, green olive, elderflower, cotton candy, a lot going on with these hops and well oily, obviously mostly dry hopped, but different in a way i cant quite put my finger on. the flavor is right there with the nose, and its hard to imagine this as a double ipa when i drink it, so floral and fruity and interesting, light in a way, but not boozy or weight for how hazy it is, and really low bitterness as they go but still with more resolve than a lot of these have in the finish. earthen and sort of new woody, lemon lime soda, something pickled, unique and drinkable and awesome. better than the other ipa i have had from these guys, but it sure seems like they have a mighty solid handle on the hoppy stuff. id love to know what hops are in this one!

 

Hazy, orange with a quickly fading white head that left only a speck of lacing on my glass. The aroma is sweet with tangerine, pineapple and mango with some piney hops. Sweet with lots of tangerine and pineapple. Nice piney bitter finish. Nice tasty, juicy double.

Thanks to Jay for this guy. Cheers Bud!

The sunshine yellow glow of Root Bound is beautiful. The opaque melted butter body is the color that you want these IPA's to be. It wears a relentless off white frothy foam that leaves lacing plastered to the glass and a snow bank around the edge as it finally gives in to gravity.

At the crack of a can, you're teleported into a smoothie bar. Mango and guava meet you at the door, but melon, tangerine, pine, plain Greek yogurt, and even a little rubber welcome you as you wait in line. Hose rubber, not tire rubber. It's a good thing, I promise.

Order is up, and to your surprise, the mixologist behind the scene has got a bit of a citrus heavy hand. Orange and grapefruit are strong before the rest of the mentioned ingredients join the party. A touch of alcohol says hello on your way out the door.

This shines on the feel. The fruit smoothie has a sharp citric like acidity (not sour) and intense bitterness. The overall body is still smooth, perhaps thick even. Finally, a NE inspired (looks wise) IPA that boasts tremendous bite.

This may be the definition of NE / West Coast infusion to date. Perhaps a bit hot on alcohol, but it's got all the right smells, flavors, and feels. Wonderful beer. Cheers.