Chinook IPA
Whalers Brewing Company

Anyone who has had Whaler's "American Strong Ale" will love the Chinook. One of the brewers informed me that this beer focus's on merely the Chinook hop and all of it's characteristics, rather than a blend of hops. They compared this as a "little brother" to the strong ale. I'm still trying to decipher the difference between an IPA and a pale ale, but this is more malty strong, than in the hop spice. The chinook hop adds a nice tangy pine flavor.

 

Poured 10/24/15 from a 32oz growler that was filled at the brewery on 10/23/2015, into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a dark gold color, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains fruity citrus, floral hops and caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of citrus and caramel. Then a strong but not over-powering piney hops bitterness comes in. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly hoppy.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, it might not be as good as some of the other beers or IPA’s that I’ve had from Whaler’s but this is still a solid beer to drink for a while.

 

On tap at Whaler's Brewing Company.

I have yet to find a brewer who makes a single hopped Chinook IPA work in a "this a great beer" kind of way, so in fairness I think the boys in Wakefield did as well as they could.