General Maister
Maister Brewery

A quick pour from an unrefrigerated 330 ml bottle from a supermarket in Koper yields a lovely, dark amber, translucent beer sporting a thick, handsome, white head. The beer has a hoppy, slightly peachy aroma. Its flavor is mild but distinctive. Hops are restrained initially, but more assertive in the aftertaste. The finish is clean and refreshing, while substantive. The texture is almost creamy. Not bad. The beer’s taste doesn’t quite fulfill the promise of its bouquet, but this is a very respectable—and quaffable—IPA.

 

Appearance -
Pours a pale, hazy amber colour.Unfiltered. Pours a thin, one finger head which dissipates relatively quickly. Not much lacing. Moderately carbonated.

Smell -
Strong aroma. Big hops, passionfruit, paw paw, pineapple, peach, leaves, bark, eucalyptus, ginger.

Taste -
Starts with a a nutty and earthy flavour. Hops are front and centre with a herb-like quality: eucalyptus, mint and rosemary. Less tropical fruits in the taste and the smell, but a sweet body of honey, peach, apricot and pineapple being dominant. The aftertaste has hints dry ginger ale, mineral water and more eucalyptus. Very drinkable, and the flavours are a bit unusual compared to other IPAs I have sampled.

Mouthfeel -
Moderate pop-rock like carbonation. Medium body, syrupy feel and not much froth. Very clean finish, and thirst quenching on a hot summer’s day.

Overall -
Give me more. A refreshing IPA which ventures into some more unusual flavours, and is big on aromas and flavour. It’s a little bit weird which I always like, and is very drinkable. Let’s hope we see more from this quality brewer.