Bad Penny
Pivot Brewing Company

Funky color and nose. Taste is hoppy and piney with a decent bitterness.

 

Somber, strong and gripping with bitterness, Pivot's near imperial strength IPA teases and taunts the tastebuds with a hop forward flavor that would have been common in craft brewing's early years. Years when the inspiration of English IPA was rendered in a malty balance, except with a pacific northwest hop regime.

Copper and hazy, Bad Penny releases a creamy eggshell froth and a rich hop bouquet of citrus, herb and spruce. Malty with a juicy caramel upstart, notions of pound cake, honey and pecan come to mind with the first impressions on the tongue.

As the roles slowly reverse, the malt eventually slips and the hop continue to churn into a pithy taste of pink grapefruit, freshly zested oranges and a mild floral taste. Natural yeast esters apply a taste of apricot and apple for a soft jammy impression before the bitterness strikes. But then the malts fade to a starchy support, void of excessive sweetness and the griping and resinous nature of pine sap latches onto the throat.

Medium full and seemingly balanced even late, the beer's even keel taste certainly favors the hops but does so with an English sensibility. Hindering its drinkability and showcasing less of a high hop perfume, the IPA trails into a long and bittersweet finish with mild alcohol spice and a linger of pine deep in the after palate.