Belgian IPA
Brewery Extrava

 

Taster at Portland on Tap

Poured from a 16 oz can into a chalice glass.

Pours a hazy golden straw color with 2 fingers of creamy white head. The head has great retention, leaving plenty of lacing before settling into a thin layer of foam.

The aroma is very grainy and grassy up front, with notes of fruity esters and banana not far behind. There's some citrus zest here, namely lemon, followed by some pear and green apples. The back end is earthy and faintly spicy.

The flavor is all about the cereal grains and sweet dough on the front end. Then comes some pear and bubblegum notes. There's plenty of banana esters and sweet honey before a wave of grassiness and lemon zest grips the palate. The finish is subtly spicy. Extremely low bitterness. Drinks more like a farmhouse ale or even a strong blonde.

The feel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Relatively creamy and smooth with a subtly dry finish.

Overall, a great Belgian ale that I struggle to call an "IPA" because the hop character is so subtle. It's essentially a hoppy Belgian Saison or Blonde ale with a fuller body. Labels be damned, it's a great beer and it's well worth a try.

 

Enjoyed on tap at the brewery.

A - Poured a nice hazy golden straw hue with a thin white head that fades to leave light halo and wisps. Great side lacing here.

S - Big aromas of floral, grassy fragrant hops. Almost like walking through a meadow. Excellent esters and phenols, flash of lemon and maybe just a hint of crackery grain.

T - Taste is similar to the nose with loads of doughy and creamy wheat and floral fragrant hops. Light just barely lingering bitterness on the finish. Good lingering esters that lend an apple peel and pear flavour. Loads of bubblegum as well as an almost honey like sweetness that flashes up front. Really pleasant.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, creamy, little fluffy. Medium bodied.

O - Overall this was a really, really well crafted representation of a Belgian IPA. Great fruity esters, creamy wheat, and grassy hops. The lingering gentle bitterness is quite enjoyable as well. Glad I bought cans of this.

Serving Type: On Tap

Draft at the brewery
Light fizzy head, semi hazy magnum golden bright colour

Nose super floral and fruity, floral flowery hops, big fruity esters, light phenol notes, lemony, citrus zest, juicy

Taste big floral hops, flowery chamomile and tea like, fruity esters the apple pear little lemony, doughy creamy malt and light wheat like character, honey and mild sweet character, little herbal, medium bitterness, dry slight gritty finish, touch grassy

Mouth is medium bod, bright effervescent carb, little gritty finish

Overall this was great, checked all the boxes for a great Belgian IPA.

Pint can - dated 08/02/19 - poured into a Stella chalice at 46F.

Pours a moderately hazy light bronze hue, tipped with three fingers of loose white head, that quickly recedes, leaving nothing behind but a razor-thin collar. Bo visible effervescence.

Nose: Light rustic grains with a good portion of wheat make up the grist aroma. Classically Belgian yeast esters waft up, with notes of bubblegum, green banana, and very faint clove. The hops are surprisingly subtle, and very European in nature. Spicy, floral, and lightly fruity, with hints of pear, grass, and lemon. Smells very much like a modern saison.

Palate: The beer first greets you with a moderate grainy sweetness. Sweeter than the nose would leave you to beleive. The Belgian yeast character does not hide at all, and like the nose, expresses notes of bubblegum, green banana, and very faint clove. The hops are spicy, floral, and resonably bitter, but not nearly as bitter as one would expect from 69 IBUs in a 6.5% ABV package. A little bit of grassiness, a hint of lemon peel, and pithy in nature, but overall, it isn't ultra hoppy. Getting into the finish, there's an almost savoury character, along with more rustic grain, as the hops begin to fade away, and then a swooping pithy bitterness comes in, and closes everything up, with a clean, dry finish.

Mouthfeel/Body: The beer is medium-bodied, with an element of fullness to it, presumably from the grainy sweetness. It certainly shows every bit of it's ABV, with no effort to mask it. Effervescence is plentiful, but very fine, giving it somewhat of a creamy texture, which paired with the wheat, also gives the beer some added fullness. A bit sweet and wet upfront, but the finish brings some drying qualities.

Overall: This is a perfectly enjoyable offering from a very new brewery. A bit of a cross between a saison and a Belgian IPA, which is not unusual at all for the style. The beer is clean, classy, and simple. Simple in a rustic way, which is nice, but also simple in the sense that I feel the hops could potentially contribute a little bit more to it. I think with some extra hopping, or perhaps the addition of another hop varietal, this beer could go from a simple saison-y Belgian-style IPA, to a great local Belgian-style IPA. Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable beer, with a time and a place, and is worth trying if the style appeals to you.