Deadhead IPA Series: Soundboard Session IPA
DESTIHL Brewery

 

 

 

Sometimes you feel like a Deadhead, sometimes you don't. In this insCANce, I feel like banging my head on the Soundboard for a session of The CANQuest (tm)!

From the CAN: "Our Deadhead IPA Series melds the strong vibe of music we love with the beer we love to drink, elevating both into a higher state of consciousness. Our Soundboard Session IPA is a melody of Citra and Simcoe hops playing off light but balanced malt, for a sublimely mixed beer that is sessionable and blissful music to all the senses. Cheers!"; "Enjoy Fresh"; "Support Flavor - Boycott Bland"; "25 IBU".

I have always like DESTIHL's beers since I am a wannabe Midwesterner & so I get excited when anything new from them appears on our shelves. Session IPAs tend to leave me a bit cold since they rely on aroma hops vice bittering hops & it usually the latter that I am after. I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. Once again, it evinced a lack of clarity from the outset & so I allowed it to gently stream from the CAN into the glass.I wound up with just over a finger of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with very good retention, slowly falling away to wisps. Color was a lightly-hazy Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4). Nose smelled strongly of grapefruit with a cattiness from Simcoe the naughty kitty doing her business somewhere. Mouthfeel was on the light side, not watery, but tending towards thin. The taste had a Pale malt sweetness only partially offset by the bitterness of the hops. It remained citrusy, but not as strongly as on the nose, nor did it really measure up stylistically. Finish was semi-dry, but I felt unfulfilled. 8=( YMMV.

 

A solid session IPA. Enough bitter and hop flavor to make it close to an IPA and smooth and simple enough to make it a session ale. Very pale and a little hazy, but this is not a fruity drink. Hops are herbal and grassy with a little citrus. Big full very white head. Even though it's session size the hop bite and ample carbonation will slow down the intakes. But the takes are satisfying enough with a soft finishing bitterness and lingering hop flavor to make pauses pleasing.
Of course I'm a sucker for the dead head art.

 

12 oz can into IPA glass. Date 6/5/18.
Look is semi clear golden yellow. Smell is light tropical fruit. Taste follows and is nice. Feel is light. Overall a very nice session but I would not seek out but would drink again.

12 ounce can. Pours a cloudy pale gold with a decent white head. Aroma of citrus and tropical fruits. Taste is pineapple, lemon, melons, pine, and malt. Sessionable.

 

 

Strong front end. Needs something to round that front taste out. A skunky/bitter end.

Taste rating in words: it's a spray in the mouth, all up in there.

Pours a hazy straw color. 2/3 inch head of a white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of floral hops, slight spicy hops, hint of citrus hops, and an earthiness. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Fits the style of an American IPA. There is an elevated bitterness. Tastes of hint of citrus hops, floral hops, slight spicy hops, hint of pale malt, earthiness,hint of pineapple, and a hint of mango. Overall, good appearance, but average otherwise.

 

03/12/18 stamped on bottom of can.
Light biscuit malt with some cereal grain on the nose with grapefruit, lemon, and honeysuckle hopping and mild dank overtones.
Flavor is delicious with crackery pale malt with grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon/lime with floral and light dank herbal hop notes. Mild bitterness and clean.
Feel is light but not watery with medium carbonation. Highly drinkable.
Impressive session IPA by name but drinks more like an APA to me.