The Gothic Castle (Scavenger Series - West Coast IPA)
Mile Wide Beer Co.

Pours a super light and slightly hazy gold fading to straw at the edges. 2 fingers of just off white head rise nicely, holding together well above the rim of the glass and persisting well, slowly devolving into large soapy bubbles.
Aroma is dank in both senses, earthy/musty and pungent like cannabis. a sort of boozy sweetness with overripe fruit and heavy floral notes ties up this decidedly old school IPA aroma.
Taste is grassy and earthy with a biting lemon rind bitterness. fairly thin/watery flavor and a bit disjointed. The elements of a dank wc ipa are there but they are not well expressed in this example.
Mouthfeel is decent but under carbed. Body is full but not overwhelming and the lack of carbonation gives it a creaminess that isn't unpleasant but isn't really appropriate for the style.
Overall this is a middling example of the style. Not gross but underwhelming and fairly disjointed. Not something I would seek out again but I won't struggle to finish the 4 pack in a timely manner, there are hints at solid wc goodness with nice earthy and floral notes they just aren't expressed to their full potential.

What seems archaic by today's standards, the landscape of haze has the Mile Wide brewery yearning for a taste of yesteryear, a time when the best hoppy beer were framed by the flavors of Columbus, Simcoe, & Chinook hops in drier and more bitter ways.

Pouring with a hazy golden color, the breaming carbonation of The Gothic Castle fuels a sturdy white froth and a full herbal bouquet of grass clippings, fresh spruce and fruit peels. A mild mannered sweetness skirts the tongue with the likeness of honeysuckle, granola and breadiness.

But the burst of hops quickly expose the hoppy center of the ale with white grapefruit, classic orange peel and a pep of lemon and green berries. Quickly trending bitter and resinous, the assertive hops deliver a battery of herbal cedar and pine, pepper, grassy chives and a decent smack of hemp.

Medium bodied and trending dry, the beer ultimately evades the bulk of sweetness in favor of a drying, drinkable and refreshing taste with light hop astringency. A long and bitter linger of fruit peel and pith easily outlasts any malt rebuttal or fruity hop complexities otherwise.

Not very smooth on the palate. Bitterness was a bit overwhelming at first, but subsided very quickly. Back of the tongue bite hung around for a while. Decent ipa.