107'
Hidden Sands Brewing Company

Hazy deep gold pour with a solid 1-2 finger cap. There is particulate floating in the brew which I found kind of surprising. At first the beer was as billed, a mild West Coast Style IPA. Mild pine and a touch of lemon. As advertised, right? But then there's a spelt--which I've always found to contribute to a grainy flavor--and malt takeover. Grain flavor dominates through to the bottom of the glass. Not a bad beer, but when the experience does not match the intent, a have to reduce the rating.

Hidden Sands Brewing Co. "107' IPA"
16 fl. oz. can coded "10-30-21 MFG 107 IPA"
$5.29 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: 107' has poured a hazy golden body with plenty of visible particulate in suspension. I'll assume it's all hop particulate as it doesn't look like yeast. The head is a standard-sized cap of white. The aroma is fairly bold with hoppy notes of pine, herbs, understated grapefruit, and a touch of lemon. The taste follows suit. It's quite resinous and surprisingly piney but doesn't seem like Chinook as it doesn't have the slap. The label lists Citra, Centennial, and Columbus. Centennial will give you pine but not like this. The maltiness is curious as well. It's definitely not just 2-row... wait, the label says it's Pilsner, spelt (farro), and light caramel. OK, that makes sense; I've had a lot of beers in Italy that were made with spelt and that's what's giving it the richer, wheaty, and almost rye-like flavor. Well, that's unusual! I have to give Hidden Sands credit for that. This is very much a west coast IPA as they've labeled it but it's also a bit unique. The hops work really well with the richer malts and it's nicely balanced by a solid bitterness that leads to a dry and piney finish. The label says that it's a "mild interpretation" of a west coast IPA but I don't agree with that, it's just not an amped up version of a west coast IPA. I'm old enough to remember west coast IPAs back in the day and this is right up there. The head held well and I still have a solid surface covering, and there's quite a bit of lacing left about the glass. In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp. All in all this is a pleasure to drink of an IPA. It's brightly piney and citrusy, malty, bitter, and dry and hoppy (piney, fruity) in the finish.
Review #7,896

Canned on 8/17/2021 so a little over a month old. Poured into a pint glass. It pours a cloudy, honey-orange with a large, fluffy, eggshell colored cap and soapy lacing. Not much on the nose; mostly malt with just a hint of citrus. It's marketed as a West Coast IPA but it's the southeastern variant of the style that opens with a lot of caramel and pilsner malt sweetness that is quickly balanced by the Centennial and Columbus hops that provide a strong dose of bitterness. What I don't taste is the citrus I would expect from the Citra. It's not so old that the fruit would have faded out. This ale has a fairly creamy mouth feel with appropriate carbonation and it's quite substantive for 6% ABV. Overall, I seem to like 107' better than most of the other raters. That may be because I like this variant of the West Coast style.

Pours hazy caramel. Aroma is mild and mostly floral hoppy. Taste is decent IPA fare, a bit hoppy with enough malt to keep up. Feel is good, decent coating. Overall it's good but not great.