Paradise Bay IPA
Bolton Landing Brewing Company

 

 

 

tasty small timey brew with a few nice features, but overall refinement lags a little bit, as does the drinkability that should come with a beer this low in abv in this style space, but this drinks about as starchy and full as the ones north of 7% abv, but other than that, the hop profile is good and without burn, the fermentation is complete and fairly tidy, and i like it being a little bit bitter too, not harsh, but not just juice either, so some good and some less good overall here. the pour is real dense and hazy and thick, looks soupy and huge, but well enough carbonated and creamy. the hop profile is a little green up front, quite fresh, with pineapple, honeysuckle, and lemon balm herbal notes, tropical as it warms with some melon coming out, bitterness is all late, there is some oily richness from the hops but not into that dank range, relatively unique hop combination too it seems, a little spicy with temperature and a pleasant aftertaste. i wish the malt as lightened up a little, its on the dry side but its still heavy to me overall and in the belly, a bit of a shame as it sacrifices its summer pounding that way. overall a fine effort, on the edge of being really good, but a few tweaks away. a little overpowering with delicate seafood in my context too...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at The Lagoon in Bolton Landing, NY.

This one pours a super hazy and opaque golden yellow color, with a small head and lots of lacing.

This smells like peach, grassy hops, biscuit and caramel malt, and grapefruit.

This is a good attempt at the style, but it’s not quite there yet. It’s a bit watery, as the juicy flavors don’t reach the full length of the tasting experience- the flavors fall off on the back end. It’s srill pretty juicy, with very little bitterness or malt character, and a crisp minerally finish.

This is light bodied, with a watery finish, and a high level of drinkability.

I enjoyed this but it’s far from perfect.