Principia
Woodland Farm Brewery

 

 

Straight pour from a 32oz amber glass growler to an oversized wineglass (Jester King, you got nice stems behbeh). This batch was released on March 8, growler filled March 12, and has sat in the refrigerator since then; right now it’s just five days old. Fresh, chilled, lovely.

Appearance (3.75): This pours out a pretty fat finger of ecru foam, capping a hazy, deep orange-amber body, like unfiltered honey. It’s actually much hazier than I was anticipating, but I’m not complaining. The head dies down slowly, leaving nice, webby lacing and scattered spots of suds all around the glass. Pretty solid, though I prefer my IPAs a little lighter and with a fluffier head.

Smell (4.25): Oodles of juicy, tropical fruit aromas, thick like nectar: passionfruit, papaya, overripe pineapple, candied grapefruit, a touch of mellow cantaloupe, and then a nice set of undertones that conjur up some bits of dank herb and fresh cut grass. The malt does enter the nose, too, with some rich, bready tones like brioche, with light toffee and a touch of light brown sugar. Still, the hops dominate, driven by an even-handed spread of passionfruit, a touch of weed, and a bit of grassiness.

Taste (4.0): Following the nose, the beer first ushers in a little splash of passionfruit flesh, but it’s quickly cut through by bright lime zest, dissolving into a strong earthiness spiked with slightly spicy and faintly oniony hops—but don’t worry, it’s light enough that you either may not notice or it will blend in seamlessly. But that citrus pith sticks around, moving from cutting lime acidity to a bright flare of yellow grapefruit juice toward the finish. The malt maintains the character suggested by the nose, with rich bread and toffee, but it leans more heavily into the toffee character, where the caramelized, slightly tangy aspect of the toffee bridges the gap between the earthiness mentioned above and the juncture of pithy and resinous hop tones. Overall, it’s the limeade-like flavor from these hops, which straddles the space between bitter and juicy, that sticks out the most.

Mouthfeel (4.0): The body is surprisingly a bit on the full- side of medium-weight, but not too heavy to put back. The carbonation is evenly spread and subdued but prickly, with a somewhat fine grain. And, in spite of the malt body, the hops are dominant enough to push a fairly dry finish. Having had this on tap before, I know that this is a very satisfying drink.

Overall (4.25): This is, overall, a very good IPA—though, it’s not quite a product of either of the dominant trends in American IPAs over the last five years. It’s not clear and hyper-dank like some of the great West Coast IPAs, and it’s not quite orange-juice hazy and super soft like the Northeast IPAs. It’s also not as malty as the old school East Coast IPAs, either. What it is, is maltier and softer than West Coast IPAs, a bit fuller and more pithy than some Northeast IPAs, and earthier than a lot of American IPAs, in general. All that said, if you see it on tap when you’re in Central NY, get it. Try it. See for yourself. It’s a great beer, and if you ever see it on cask (probably at the brewery itself), buy as much of it as you can. From a keg, it’s a very good American IPA, but on cask, it’s so insanely creamy and smooth, it’s really something else. Nice work, Woodland!