New England IPA
Workhorse Brewing Company

 

 

 

Pours a hazy golden orange with about a finger of head. Smells of orange, pineapple, and citrus. Taste follows with a bit of bitterness on the back end. This is a nice solid offering and less juicy than what you'd expect. Which I like

Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a hazy golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of citrus, tropical fruits. Taste is citrus, just a touch of pineapple, moderate bitterness. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall this is a pretty good beer.

 

 

I am trying this beer off the tapper at the brewery as part of a four sample flight with my old hockey teammate whilst in the area for my daughter's Natty gymnastics meet at Ursinus College. It poured a hazy golden with white head that is leaving some lace. The scent had nice hop notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with crisp malt base and bright hop profile. The mouthfeel was medium in body and had good carbonation. Overall it is a great beer!

On tap at the source.

A - Medium gold color with some haze and a creamy layer of white foam.

S - Light to moderate orange and tropical fruit aroma.

T - Follows the nose with light tropical fruit, orange, delicate citrus, and ends balanced with a slight nod to the more bitter side.

M - Big medium body with gentle carbonation.

O - Decent but not memorable.

 

 

Workhorse Brewing Co. "New England IPA"
$12.50/pint on tap @ Chicky & Pete’s, Phila. International Airport

Look: Very hazy amber colored body beneath a finger’s width of white foam. Average head retention but very good lacing.
Smell: Limited aroma for a New England IPA with citrus, sweet and grainy malt, and some resins.
Taste: As the aroma suggests with added peach, mango, and clear orange. A very firm bitterness balances it brings it to a dry and resinous conclusion.
Feel: Medium bodied and crisp.
Overall: In the ballpark for an NEIPA but not a home run.

 

 

Pours with a lacy head. Golden turbulent appearance. Sweat aromas of hops and citrus.
Flavors I’d bitters and citrus.
Refreshing and satisfying. With an ABV at 6.7 it’s just right to ease into the evening.
A good New England IPA

 

 

 

If you're here on Beer Advocate, you'll likely know that the way to New England an IPA is by adding wheat and/or oates to the wort. When it's wheat heavy, all sorts of problems become evident. This starts as a great example. The foam produced by a gentle pour from a pint can into a clear glass Imperial pint mug becomes a quick indicator of why wheat really doesn't belong in an IPA. It quickly expanded, so that less than half of the contents of the pint can could be contained. Of course, it's not a lasting problem, as wheat based heads, such as this one, recede quickly, unevenly and without any glass lacing. The aroma is, to an IPA lover, incomplete. There's some starch and some undefined hops, but this doesn't smell inviting. Once the foam made way for the beer itself to be observed, it's seen to be a cloudy golden amber, the first good thing to be noticed about this beer. As expected, this is way too light to the palate and devoid of any malty counterbalance to the hops, the essential aspect of a great IPA, even within the New England style. This drinks watery and it doesn't even bring the hop bite that can be acceptable from a malt deprived West Coast IPA, which often short-changes the malt to get more of a hop bite. This is an almost complete failure, as it doesn't even bring the softness that a bad NEIPA offers.

16oz can received as part of a trade with a friend. Canned on 05/18/22, so this is almost 3 1/2 months old.

Look: Nice pale orange glow with a moderate haze and a soft fluffy, off-white head. It's still somewhat translucent, nowhere near opaque. Looks nice.

Smell: Up front, pleasant notes of citrus and stone fruit - not such distinctive flavors but this is my perception: orange (blood orange perhaps?), some grapefruit, mango, and peach. Chewable vitamin note is present as well as a bit of creaminess. Swirling yields that ubiquitous green bell pepper note that I am finding to be so common in hoppy beers. Very interesting that on one of the last whiffs of this beer, I get a distinct anise note.

Taste: Up front, it's fruity and sweet. Initially, the finish is pithy, mildly bitter, and short-lived. Lots of orange/grapefruit pith and zest along with essential oils on the finish. Instead of saying orange/grapefruit, I could call it akin to kumquat.
More bitterness is showing through on the finish and lingering longer as the beer continues to build on the palate. Also getting more lingering peppery notes on the finish.

Feel: This beer is medium bodied; it has an appropriate level of carbonation and the mouthfeel is relatively soft and creamy.

Overall: It's decent. Certainly drinkable and enjoyable. I think that it would probably be much better if consumed fresher. I expected this beer to be juicy and I don't really get that and it could be due to its age. At almost 3 1/2 months old for a NEIPA, it may be pushing its limit. That being said, it's not chalky and it's not giving hop burn so that is a positive.