Mount Kenya IPA
Three Magnets Brewing

 

 

Blueberry, brightness (citrus), GF. Juicy overripe melon (cantaloupe) at the mid palate. Soft bitterness near the finish. Slightly danky/green/earthy undertones are present as well. Subtle darker coffee "feel" appears. I state "feel" because I don't really discern any coffee flavors, but there is a nonspecific dark flavor present that I attribute to the coffee. This lightly lingers on the palate. Juicy, thin body that finishes slightly dry. Carbonation is soft, slightly effervescent. Not enough coffee to be noteworthy when at the appropriate IPA serving temp. A little more coffee as the beer warms. Still not enough to wow. A good IPA. Subtle. Balanced. Pleasant. One of the most pleasant IPA's you will ever have. Enjoyable, but the execution and marketing are slightly mismatch from the actual product. I love SO coffees so I was expecting and anticipating a lot from this beer; this really misses the mark in that area. The blueberry, which most likely comes from the mosaic hops, is more reminiscent of an Ethiopian SO as opposed to a Kenyan.

 

Can dated 040417 into a tulip glass.

L: Bright copper with 1+ finger of medium density head with good retention and left spiderweb lacing.

S: Nose is mostly earthy and pine, perhaps very subtle coffee and citrus notes.

T: More citrus than was on the nose, no perceptible coffee. Plenty of bitterness on the finish with just a hint of astringency, bitterness lingers on the palate.

F: Medium body and moderate carbonation.

O: It's a good IPA, but one of the more underwhelming coffee IPAs that I've had. Wanted much more contribution from the coffee.

 

 

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium golden amber with a big three finger off-white head with good retention and tons of lacing. Aroma of pale malt, citrus hops, lemon and coffee. Flavor is neutral pale malt, citrus and grassy hops, grapefruit, lemon, a little tropical fruit, drip coffee. Light to medium bodied with sharp carbonation. A citrus forward IPA with lots of citrus rind flavors combining with light coffee bitterness. The malt is pretty much in the background with hops and light coffee the main attractions. I'm not sure about this style of beer; I'm a fan of stouts with coffee and a few lighter ones have been good, but as nice as this is, the coffee seems superfluous. The coffee adds a little interest note to the IPA, but is light enough to sit in the background. The residual coffee in the lingering finish have quite nice quality coffee notes to it, but they are overwhelmed by the hops for most of the taste. I was left wanting to taste just the coffee, which is not a normal reaction to an IPA for me. Flavorful and interesting but maybe not a style trend I will be following.

 

A particularly solid coffee IPA (as expected from 3 Mags), and judged by that metric, but I've come to the conclusion that coffee and IPAs, like the Montagues and Capulets, are inherently antagonistic entities better left apart. Their combination can be beautiful and inspiring, as it mostly is here, but it is also always semi-tragic...