DAB_Lab: Hop Sauce
Block 15 Brewing - Southtown Tap Room

On draft at Beerworks in Medford. Poured a clear, golden orange color with a small, white head of foam. It left patches of lace. It smelled of orange, grapefruit, caramel and pine. Sweet fruity taste with toasted caramel and a piney bitterness.

 

 

Lovely orangey-amber color with plenty of foam in the Brigand chalice. Interesting aroma of resin, citrus, and bark. Light body with some malty substance and a sizzling carbonation. Rather dark and woody overall, though enlivened by the lemony taste. This hop or product would be worth experimenting with, but I'm not so crazy about its dominance of flavors here. Still, the beer is clean and well made and the lemon taste kind of grows on you. The increasing bitterness does not. From the 16 oz can purchased at Elizabeth Station. Dated 04/09/24.

Pours a medium golden amber with a three finger white head with good retention and nice lacing. Aroma of pale malt, citrus and dank hops, lemon, grapefruit, catty dankness and hints of pine. Flavor is pale malt, citrus, fruit and dank hops, lemon and grapefruit with mixed berry and tropical punch flavors, as well a small wave of light sweetness develop into a moderately bitter finish with a hint of pine. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Although interesting and quite drinkable, I'm not getting the "explosion of citrus and pine" described by the brewery. There is certainly nice citrus, but the pine is faint. There is lots of dankness in the aroma, but it is less dominant in the taste. Initially it seemed to me to be a classic citrus and dank IPA, but a wave of mixed fruit develops mid-taste that changes the profile; it then seems more like the newer hybrid West Coast IPAs that have some NE fruit character as well as traditional WC flavors. I liked the flavor development quite a bit and the fruit, while somewhat muddled fit fine in the hop profile. I could have used a bit more bitterness, but it is satisfactory if somewhat below Block 15s usual forward level for West Coast style IPAs. Guess we'll be seeing a lot of new innovations in delivering hop flavor to beers and this one works well.

Modern WCIPA, squeaky clean, minimal body, arguably to its detriment. Lovely modern hop nose with melon, green grape, kiwi and gooseberry. Drying, nice carbonation and soft mouthfeel, initially watery.