Tuba-Symphony Series
Fort Hill Brewery

 

 

Very excited to experience a new entry into Fort Hill's "Symphony Series" with this beer. It's billed as an "oatmeal India pale ale" and follows their lime-focused gose, "The Pianist" in this series. Who knows what, if anything, will tie these beers together. Perhaps just the polygonal, stylized art-nouveau-ish design of the cans? I despise this aesthetic, personally, but to each their own!

Pours a beautiful deep orange color with a thick and retentive head of white foam that laces intensely. Good legs here, too, with a solid surface of haze. Glad to see that this isn't a completely hazy IPA, even in spite of its prominent oatmeal component!

The nose is heavy on black tea, tannic and grassy notes with a slight backing of grapefruit rind and orange peel. Unsurprisingly, this beer heavily utilizes Idaho 7 hops. These hops are awesome at pointing out complex notes we completely lose out on with a lot of other modern hop varietals... the notes of biscuit malt blend well with the oats and English breakfast tea character. Soft, lavender-like florals take up a lot of the nose while some more assertive citrus notes reign those elements in, providing a unique balance. I'm into this, but it's got a very "English IPA" thing going on that isn't the most up my alley.

The palate seems to be smooth and subtly detailed with flavors ranging from white grapefruit to chalky oat and herbal lemongrass. Tea-like lemon verbena notes and slight orange peel make their presence subtly known here among the rather intense maltiness. The spelt is really well-rendered here, giving off a lot of nuttiness without dulling the effect of the oats or crowding them out in any way. The multi-grain approach is interesting here, as it takes some focus off the hops. Idaho 7 hops are unique in that they play well with the almost-English IPA-style going on here.

The feel is soft and supple with a very quaffable and agreeable body. Carbonation is fair and even-handed, and the whole thing just feels non-aggressive. If you want to try an IPA with "new school" hops that doesn't really go all-in on the NEIPA side of things, this would be a good choice. I just don't think it's the most successful IPA ever, and it might be my least favorite IPA from this brewery. Your mileage may vary.

 

12 oz can ibto IPA glass
Fairly clear golden look. Light fruit on the nose. Taste is first fruity then mellow bisquit and a little grapefruit at end. Feel is light to medium. Overall, very nice IPA. A little different which is nice.

FORT HILL TUBA OATMEAL IPA 6/16/18

A new brew from this local brewery which already makes a fine array of IPAs.

Poured from the 12 oz. can into a Lawson't stemmed tulip.

a; Translucent amber with a finger thick white head which receded to thin even surface foam and extensive spotty lacing.'

s; Indeterminate light fruit.

t; Bready malt with a light to moderate hop bite and slight ripe fruit notes, perhaps overripe apple, which intensify as it warms.

m; Medium, good body and some carbonation tingle.

o; A different sort of IPA, perhaps closer to its English versions than American. Oatmeal added to stouts is known to smooth them out, and it seems to do the same here. It may also somewhat mute the hops, and although this brew is exceptionally balanced as a result, it might disappoint those looking for a stronger citrus/pine resin hop presence.

 

Bought this at the Beer Shop in East Longmeadow. The beer has a mostly clear appearance through a gold color. Thick head that stays for a bit with good retention and thick lacing. Slightly boozy with a light citrus, almost sugary syrup aroma. Very sweet with grapefruit but a little honey almost. This mouthfeel is interesting; it’s a little syrupy but yet refreshing. Overall, great appearance and excellent mouthfeel.