Inner Dragon
Arvon Brewing Co.

Undated can poured into a Teku glass. Guessing it's 5-7 weeks old based on when my Grand Rapids friend shipped it to me with a mix of local offerings.

Stunner on the eyes with a rich, dark, red-mahogany coloring and an off-white head of soapy bubbles. Looks old school and very much in line with a rye IIPA! Head doesn't last very long and there's only a little bit of lacing down the glass. But the color alone is fantastic.

Milder nose than expected given the ABV, but I like what's there. Very earthy with lovely malt, cereal, and brown bread notes. Nice blast of pithy citrus and resiny hops, Grapefruit and pine. Little bit of berries and mild spice. Old school again. Wish the nose was bigger given the ABV.

Taste is again quite mild and a little understated, but it hits some really good notes. Carmel malts, bready, a little rye zing, then sharply bitter and pithy -- all grapefruit and citrus peal. Incredibly dry with almost zero malt sweetness. Clean finish with a lovely amount of lasting pucker. The bitter finish is definitely the best part.

Wonderful, chewy consistency without being sticky. Great coating of the teeth and tongue, which only adds to the lingering pithiness. Absolutely love the finish.

Wish the nose and taste profile were a little bigger and more nuanced. But most rye IPAs I've had present this way, so maybe that's just the reality of a rye-heavy ales.

Inner Dragon from Arvon Brewing. 16 fl oz can picked up at Horrocks Market, Grand Rapids, MI, 23/08/25 - $ 6.02 (including tax and deposit)/$ 0.370/fl oz. Reviewed 19/09/25, review 3591. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 55.5 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 59.9 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Pale Gold (SRM 4), slight cold haze.
Body – Deep Gold (SRM 6), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, pale gold with a slight haze.
Head – Large (Maximum 4.2 cm, aggressive center pour). White, high density, average retention, leaving a one cm crown with a jagged upper edge and a complete cap. As the crown collapses, multiple islands of foam remain.
Lacing – Good. As the level of beer drops, the crown leaves broken bands of near-microscopic to small bubbles from the top of the crown to the beer level. These are approaching torn curtain lacing. See also above.
Aroma – 4.25 – Grapefruit, pine, caramel malt, no alcohol.
Flavor – 4.25 – Follows the nose but there is an additional earthiness from the rye (Or maybe the Mosaic hops – nope, it’s from the rye). No alcohol (8.5 % ABV, according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Slow gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium: Approaching syrupy: Soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated can) Credited art work – two beers in a row! Good rye-based beer – the centennial and chinook hops shine with a balanced grapefruit aroma and flavor, but with slight bitterness – works well with the rye.

A - Pours a clear amber with a large fluffy white head. The head fades into a half inch ring leaving tons of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is caramel malts, grapefruit and piney hops.

T - The taste is caramel malts, orange, mango, grapefruit, spicy rye and lingering piney hop bite.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a nice crisp finish.

O - Solid rye IPA.