Green Horizon
Levante Brewing Company

The pint can reads "west coast style double IPA", but it looks more like an ordinary IPA. Now resting in a clear glass Imperial pint mug, the contents of the can are bright copper-amber in color. It's rather translucent and carries a modest, yet enduring off-white head. It looks just like the typically traditional IPA. The hops smell a little more piney and the base a little less earthy than that standard, but each is more consistent with the west coast variety. The aroma is close to the taste, save the hops are more resinously piney and the malt backbone does bring some effective earthiness. The body is ample, even a little better than some of the good ones in this style. The 9% ABV is noticed, but it's not detrimental to the expected taste. This is a double IPA and a west coast styled one. Neither one of those categories promote cloud-like softness. It bites and it's supposed to. The glass lacing is overall unimpressive, but average for the style. It's brewed about one hundred miles from the Atlantic, but this is a solid WCIPA.

 

Dense finger’s worth of deep tan foam, even surface, nice retention with intricately woven lacing. The liquid is a deep coppery brown, transparent with a mild gauziness, very few visible bubbles. Cut grass, naval orange pith, caramel, light cracker but comes across as malty on the whole, no real dankness to it, vague apricot and peach scents, smells a bit stale and lacks life. Medium-bodied, firm and bottom heavy, the carbonation ineffective and there’s no lift. Caramel, molasses register first, no spine nor incisive cut. At this point I’m back on my heels and wondering if I’m reading this right. Pine sap, charcoal, the herbaceousness wetter here. Apricot, peach with some pineapple, papaya. Slogs through the finish. I don’t think this was mistreated, for the $20+ price for a four pack expected something much more appealing than this. (Canned 9/3/20)

Old school goodness. A great change of pace