Gnarl Ridge IPA
Elliot Glacier Public House

On tap at the Elliott Glacier Public House. The colour was medium gold with no head. The aroma was lightly hoppy with a faint hint of malt. On the palate, there was a quick bite of hops and some sweet malt but not awhole lot else. Didn't seem all that IPA-ish to me. Seemed rather like a quaffable pale ale. No bad, but not really an IPA either.

At last, a well hopped Elliot Glacier beer. As with other EG beers, the Gnarl Ridge is nearly laceless, yields spartan carbonation, and is named for a landmark feature on nearby Mt. Hood. But this one features a prominent herbal hop flavor. It is honey-gold with a soft head and a slight haze.

This is a casual country beer, not a competitive powerhouse from the city. The soft herbal aroma and hop flavor are compelling, making Gnarl Ridge immanently quaffable. I might even call it seductively relaxing.

Actually, I’d consider this to be an ideal candidate for cask conditioning, which might enhance its innate mellowness. As it stands, Gnarl Ridge sits somewhere between the downy refinement of the cask and the tightly carbonated froth of most CO2 propelled ales.