Bowline
Mainstay Independent

 

Poured into a narrow imperial pint glass: color is gold, slight haze, head is off white with fine bubbles and presents one plus fingers thick, head lingers with solid top and lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is clean malt and light hops, very smooth light for the style - pleasant but not really AIPA like, more pale ale simplicity.

Taste has more depth with light malt touch of caramel, crisp hops with earth, herbal, hint of citrus; again light for AIPA style but pleasant/drinkable.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, low/moderate sweetness, low/moderate bitterness.

Overall a lighter flavored and bitter IPA - malt is there but not overly sweet, hops are more earth/herbal and not too bitter; very drinkable.

 

This one seemed more like s pilsner to me. Smooth yes, but where are the hops and that typicsl IPA flavor. This one was not juicy or malty and was a miss for me.

The pour of a pint can to empty its contents into a clear glass Imperial pint mug is darn near a perfect fit. Faintly bright amber, with a generous white head and obviously well carbonated, this looks much like the typical American Adjunct Lager. Really, that's not such a bad thing, even if it's an AIPA. The aroma clearly differentiates this brew, as it's mostly hops, piney and citrusy hops. Mass produced lagers just don't smell like this, or to hop lovers, this good. The generous head, a beer head, not extraneous foam, seems to be lasting. This drinks in what now has become the West Coast IPA style. There's little malt earthiness, nor sweetness. The hops are dry, maybe piney more than citrus-like, but they're not complex. In the West Coast IPA tradition, there's no attempt at a balance of malty sweetness, nor earthiness, to make this a full flavored beer. It's not bad, but there are others that move the IPA balance bar away from malt and the layers it can add, that do the dry and bitter hop thing better. Interestingly, there wasn't a heavy malt taste, but the mouthfeel and glass lacing are commendable.