Clean IPA
Hubbard's Cave Brewery

Yeah so I REALLY like this. Im a west coast IPA lover and almost never enjoyed neipas. I judge 16oz canned ipas by their format and thought I was getting into something completely different but was pleasently surprised.

The look is solid. Very deep amber for ipa but its not hazy orange juice so I'm on board.

Smell it loads of caramel, rye and holiday spice. Granted this beer is now 3 months old (canned 090220) but it still smells like an ipa. Just one with some girth behind it.

It tastes like SN celebration ale but a bit less hoppy. It has the same rye spice that celebration does and i love it. Im really enjoying it. I will actively seek out a fresh one of these if I can as I can imagine this is sublime with some greasy, only hops screaming at you.

Feel is pretty damn big, thick, full, filling, adjective, feel.

Overall I dig what I thought I'd detest.

 

 

Can courtesy of BigTimeADL.
Canned 6/10, so roughly a month old.
Look: dark amber, thick but minimal head.
Smell: brown sugar, pine.
Taste: caramel, rye, super piney resinous numb-your-lips grapefruit peel.
Feel: slick and very bitter, almost burny.
Overall: I haven’t had a wcipa this bitter for a long time. I had forgotten the power of bitter. Reminds me of some old-school Lagunitas.

I have to say, I was mostly intrigued by what the heck "Clean IPA" involves, but I trust HC enough to make a pretty good hoppy beer regardless of the actual style it ends up being at the end of the day. I think it's safe to assume this will probably be good: after all, some might say it's tougher to make a clean beer than a hazy one these days.

Pours a dark amber color with a slightly off-white head. Okay, it's not DARK, per se, but even for me expecting something other than a 4-5 SRM hazebro beer, this is pretty deep looking stuff. Looks almost "English bitter"-like, actually. Fluffy foam tops it off and sinks down to a half-finger with very good legs and moderately-decent lacing. It's not exactly consistent lace, but it's solid, especially compared to the expectations set by the color. Though it's a deep caramel hue, it's not 100% clear, however; there is a light haze. Reminds me of some NERAX stuff I've had poured for me... cask-like, almost.

Nose is English toffee, butterscotch, melanoidin malt, biscuity notes, a touch of herbal hops, appreciable diacetyl... maybe a bit of grapefruit rind and even some earthiness. Whoa! Who would have predicted that in 2020, picking up a beer from a brewery known mostly for huge flavored stouts and hazy hoppy beers, I'd be greeted with a freakin' English IPA. This is gonna be like a straight-up pub-style hoppy ale in the British tradition, isn't it? Funky grassiness and even a little of characterful yeast (sulfur?) peeking out for fun. I am so excited to sip on this one.

First big gulp has me convinced; this is the best English IPA I've had from the US in, well, a long-ass time. It's aggressively hoppy but superbly balanced by a biscuity, caramel-laden malt flavor that lends a slick sweetness to the mid-palate. The hops used here actually consist of one "blend" which features nineteen varietals (you did read that right, by the way) grown by a Michigan-based hop grower. They describe the blend, which they call Sticky Fingers, as having a "huge aroma" that is "dank, fruity, spicy, and intriguing." I think that carries well on to the palate, where I get a ton of resinous goodness, earthy notes, light pepper spice, grapefruit rind, and, well, stickiness.

This is just nuts. I legitimately had no idea this was going to be an "English" IPA, as I definitely assumed more of a West Coast vibe from the name alone. The maltiness and balance has me going though, and brings this in a very different direction. It's great to sip on, as the bitterness is intense, but the caramel-laden sweetness and biscuity undertones have my palate wanting more. I don't think this is a beer I could have more than one of in a session, but it's really high-quality. Grab it if you miss the older styles of IPA!

 

Dark copper color. Sure to the name, the body is clear. Very lively; transparent. Good head production, and absolutely excellent retention. Huge clumps of off-white lacing.

Nose is piney and grainy. Caramel malt, brown sugar, fresh green herbs, grass, grapefruit, lemon.

Flavor profile is similar. Tons of caramel and toast on the palate, with a balancing bitterness. Honey, orange, grapefruit peel, grass, pine. It's not just a "clean" IPA; it's a throwback, WC IPA.

Wonderful mouthfeel. Medium bodied, crisp, lively; slick oily finish.