Stellar IPA
Snow Hop Brewery

this one seemed to be the most popular among the regulars when i was in, and it proved to be one of their better executed recipes in my opinion. listed at only 6.5% abv when i was in, this must vary some in terms of alcohol from batch to batch. its a fine ipa, a little old school in terms of it being a bit malty and sweet, but also modern enough on the hop side to stand out, almost a champagne brightness to the texture too, like this thing lives, even if the brewery is dying. pale and frothy, a little malty, but simple and clean too, a nicer and more minimal fermentation profile than their other beers, and i think thats a good thing, based on what i saw from them. some light stone fruit up front in the hops, pine intensity in the middle, and some subtle but useful bitterness later on, not wildly different overall, but not the same either. i taste it a little longer than i want to after each sip, but at least the things i am tasting are decent. urban and rural at the same time, a bit of a paradox, and a beer that will unfortunately never be refined to its best version, and instead fade into the oblivion of all other failed brewery pokes at this style. it wont be missed by but a few, and thats a shame...

From recent notes on a trip to Helena, Montana.
Poured from a growler into a small glass hotel glass. Pours a medium coppery amber with a two finger white head with good retention. Aroma of caramel and biscuit malt, citrus and piney hops. Flavor is balanced caramel and biscuit malt, citrus and piney hops, orange and grapefruit juice and rind, hints of tropical fruit. Great citrus rind and resinous pine finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess and nice mouth feel. This really hit the spot. A great West Coast style IPA with full malty body and assertive, mainly citrus hops but a fine pine resin backbone that comes to the fore in the finish. I got a taster of this and their brut IPA; the latter tasted quite good for that style, but this was clearly in my happy zone of IPA styles. An excellent IPA.