Cross-Section IPA
Wagner Valley Brewing Co.

Draft at the brewery
Foamy bubbly head with moderate retention, little lacing, mostly clear golden straw color

Nose hops up front, citrus, little piney spicy, touch resin, orange zest and hint of stone fruit

Taste more hops up front, stone citrus and genetic fruit, maybe stone fruit, little pine and resin, getting a touch spicy, med to lighter bitterness, very light malt, typical for west coast style, although bitterness is way to low, drier finish med to lighter hop bitterness

Mouth is med bod, med to higher carb

On tap at Fattey Beer Company in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a fairly clear golden orange color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like pine, marijuana, grapefruit, lemon, and pineapple.

I’ve never really thought too much about Wagner Valley, outside of something like Sled Dog, but this was definitely a really solid IPA. It’s old school, definitely West Coast leaning, with a really pleasant piney bitterness, some citrus, lots of grapefruit, and no real maltiness to it.

This is light bodied, crisp, and super, super clean, with a high level of drinkability.

This was really quite a pleasant surprise, it was very enjoyable.

Have toured both the Wagner brewery and winery a number of times in recent years. Stopped by again while on this perfect-weather outing to the beautiful Finger Lakes and this time (instead of wines) tried their "Hop Head" tasting flight. This brew was the best of the four. (Haven't quite figured out the appeal of a Brut IPA yet.) Solid head and fizz, rich flavors + transitions, multiple-hop bitterness creeps up on you.

And for fun I took home one of their 32-ounce Coloss-O-Can containers filled with this yummy brew as a Wagner souvenir.

 

 

Got a bottle of this about 2 months ago on a trip I went on recently with my wife to the Finger Lakes region of New York for a vacation. Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into one of my pint glasses, this beer pours a clear, medium golden color with a bit of a copper hue and lots of streams of little bubbles fairly rapidly and continually rising to the beer's surface. Has a very fluffy looking white head that's about an inch thick when first served that settles eventually to a very thick surface coating with a thick ring lining the inside of the glass, and a hell of a lot of lacing. Quite a thick layer of foam lacing lining the inside of the glass indeed. Aromas of some slightly toasted, bready malts with a bit of caramel sweetness. This gives way to piney, citrus, and earthy , dank hops. The taste is pretty much the same, with some slightly toasted, bready malts with a decent amount of caramel sweetness that gives way to piney, citrusy, earthy, dank hop bitterness. The flavors here are well balanced, but the hop bitterness does tend to dominate the palate a bit. As it should I suppose. Has a crisp, yet also fairly smooth and frothy, medium to full bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Easy to drink. Has a clean finish with a piney, resinous aftertaste. A fine IAP here indeed!

Eric

Part of a flight at the brewery. Pours a clear, deep amber with a thin off-white head head. Initial impression is in-your-face citrus, grapefruit, orange, and tropical fruits. Mouthfeel is medium, as is carbonation. Finish is slightly sticky but dry. Pretty good IPA.