Newport Storm RhodeTrip New England IPA (Lemondrop Hops)
Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co.

 

 

 

I CAN hardly wait to add this one to The CANQuest (tm)! I love the taste of Lemondrop hops. 'Nuff said.

From the CAN: "Enjoy the trip [-] Like the road trip itself, this beer is about the journey as much as the destination. Each time we brew this hazy IPA we choose a new hop to feature in all its glory. Thanks for coming along for the trip."

I Crack!ed it open & decided to go with a gentle Glug to try & gauge just how cloudy it might actually be. Color was a deeply-hazy/lightly-cloudy Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9). Okay. I then gave it an in-glass swirl to raise just over a finger of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with decent retention that left behind some nice lacing. Nose was abby fabby, very evocative of Lemondrop CANdies. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was quite lemon-citrusy, but not overly bitter, much like the aforementioned CANdies. My maternal grandmother always had them in a jar when we visited & I liked them, even if the same could not be said for everyone. I guess that they are telling us that this is a single-hop varietal & I do not disbelieve them. The only thing is that it seems like a strange taste for an AIPA, which is where a CANundrum arises for me. We are to review to style & not to taste, but I have had other AIPAs that tasted MUCH more appealing to me. That is not to suggest that this one tasted bad, per se, but it would pale next to some of my more favored AIPAs. Finish was semi-dry, very tasty, but evocative of an AIPA? Not so much. YMMV.

This is a version of their Rhode Trip series IPAs but hopped with lemondrop hops. It's labeled as a New England IPA, but there is nothing NEIPA about it (other than it is brewed in New England). It pours a slightly hazy burnt orange with about 2 fingers of head. Nice lacing. The aroma is very much lemony and floral. There is a slight metallic element to the nose as well. The taste is fairly bitter with the malts being on the background. More lemony and floral notes and yet again, just as with the nose, there is some metallic notes too. Medium body.