Hop Tahoe IPA
The Fox Brewpub

for whatever reason i had tempered expectations checking out their new reno location recently, its an odd place and has a strange layout and felt almost overly low key, but i was in fact stoked on much of the beer, which is what its really all about. this is a basic no frills ipa, but its well executed, clean on the ferment, and with a nice layering of different hop characteristics throughout it, several varietals in play anyway, a nice pint. off from fully clear but just frosted looking not heavy or messy at all, and just a half shade deeper than blonde, this looks light and approachable with good carbonation and about three quarters of an inch of fizzy white head. it smells lightly spicy up front but then has tropical and stone fruit nuance, more dry hoppy than bitter at first, mango, ripe peach, and orange candy, with little grassiness and a soft toasted note to the cereal malt base, nice proportions, neutral ferment. some oils on the palate from all the hops, lightly dank, some dried apricot and golden raisin fruitiness, tangerine zestiness, pine as it warms. its not overly intense in any respect, bitterness included, but the bite does ramp up towards the finish. its off dry though, so it stays balanced, some melon as it warms, a gin thing too, and for being somewhat simple on the grain side, i found this relatively complex and evolved on the whole, nice and fresh too. really solid, one of my favorites from our visit here.

First time here at The Fox as I’m in town tonight. This seemed to be their most popular offering and it’s easy to see why since it’s a typical IPA from these parts that’s full-bodied, hoppy, and not overtly strong.

Clear, golden, and topped off with a thin head, this looked plenty brassy and waxy upon pouring. Most of the head stuck around in a deep ring near the top as the lacing was quite sparse the rest of the way down. Pine, deep dewy forest, and what felt like a Cascade, Centennial, or Amarillo hops packed quite a punch as they were potent, persistent, and dry on the palate. Lots of woods and swamp that were softened by the bubbles that foamed up as I swished a few sips. A bit of turbid cantaloupe, lime rind, and weed combined with an underlying minty aftertaste that coated my teeth and tingled long after the last sip went down.

The amount of booze that so felt was on par with the listed ABV% as I warmed up nicely while sipping this. IPA’s are so common everywhere as this was fitting for a place like this at the door of the Sierras. Hopheads will have plenty to savor here!