Westside Connection
Benchtop Brewing Company

Good IPA from Benchtop!!! I was getting overwhelmed with NE IPA's lately, it was nice to have an "old school" AIPA. Pours a very hazy dull gold color. Medium sized foamy head with very good retention and patchy lacing on the glass. Aroma is piney, citrusy (orange) and some other fruit (probably peach and melon). Flavor is more of the same with some robust bitterness. Very good flavor and enough bitterness for a hop head. Mouthfeel is rich and nicely bitter. This is a good beer. I would gladly drink it again!!!

 

 

I don't see any date on the label or can.

Appearance: The beer is flush with suspended solids making is appear extremely hazy. The suspended particles are of various shapes, sizes, and float at various points in the glass. The body of the beer, sans-crud, is gold colored. It has a medium-short white head with good retention and lacing. There is a difference between haze and just crud and this beer has a lot of crud in it. Otherwise, the beer looks nice.

Aroma: There is a nice soft peach and mango aroma. A light bit of pineapple comes through.

Taste: A grassy flavor comes through at first, then delivers some grapefruit pulp character. Towards the middle that pulpy grapefruit flavor is the strongest. Towards the end it is a bit mossy with a slight bit of cedar flavor. It finishes very grassy, much like it started. It makes this arc, tasting much better in the middle of the palate.

Mouthfeel: It's a bit rough with the hop character but it tends to work with the beer. Bitterness is medium-high. There is an abrasiveness that hinders drinkability but it in no way impacts the quality of the beer.

Overall: It was a fairly average tasting IPA, and a fairly ugly looking one in the glass. It did not leave an impression that made me want to recommend or drink it again. It's the kind of beer that has enough aroma and flavor that you can drink it if you bought it, but isn't completely enjoyable. There are far better beers from Benchtop to drink.

 

L: Poured from a tallboy can to a pint glass. Had an amber / orange color and a hazy consistency. There was a quarter inch of foamy, somewhat long-lasting head. Very good lacing.

S: A sweet and enticing aroma of hops, tropical fruit, citrus fruit, melon, pine, and malt.

T: Tasted of a small amount of melon (gives it a soft quality), some citrus fruit (orange, in particular), a decent bit of pine, a moderate amount of hops, light malt (mostly in the finish), and some tropical fruit (mango, passionfruit). This is a light, sweet, and fruity flavor. It has a slightly softer that a lot of IPAs, but still has a vibrancy. Tasty.

F: A fair amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Light- to medium-bodied.

O: A solidly made, likable IPA. Worth a try.

02/14/19 hard to read black on black on the label. Poured into a glass tumbler.

Clear amber with 1-2 finger off-white frothy head with decent retention and solid lacing.

Big pine and peach/mango, guava, and passion fruit with soft berry

Blasts of pine, orange, and lime up front follow with mango and apricot and finished with melon and soft herbal honeysuckle. Solid 2-row malt backing. Moderate bitterness.

Finishes dry with medium body and moderate carbonation. Drinkable+.

Another stellar Benchtop beer. They are on a roll.