Basilica
More Brewing Co.

Pours a clear, golden amber coloration with a medium, fluffy head. Smells of doughy, caramel malt and citrus hops, with notes of grapefruit, as well as some pine and herbal, earthy accents. Taste is an excellent balance of doughy, caramel malt and fruity, bitter, spicy, resinous, slightly herbal and earthy hops, with citrus and lighter tropical notes of grapefruit and pineapple, as well as some pine and peppery spice. Finishes with a strong bitterness and some grapefruit, pine and spice lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This makes for a great, old-school West Coast IPA that has just the flavor profile that I'm looking for in the style, thanks to an excellent hop bill of Citra, Simco, Chinook and Columbus, which are some of the hops that I expect to see for the style. It really makes me scratch my head when breweries put Amarillo or Galaxy in a West Coast IPA, Chinook and Simcoe should be required for the style. In any case, this is quite bitter and resinous, with a light caramel malt backbone, some fruit and very nice spicy, herbal and earthy accents, with that resinous pine really standing out here. Best WCIPA I've had in a while, although good ones are admittedly hard to come by in my neck of the woods.