SHOP Series: Amarillo
Lakefront Brewery

 

 

Surprisingly good! Got three of these in a 12 pack variety box and this was by far the best of the lot. Fruity, smooth, hoppy dryness, caramel, very nice! Really enjoyed it and looking forward to the few remaining. What I've read is this is no longer being brewed. Oh well..............

12oz bottle, best by 16 JUL 18. Copper colored ale with a creamy beige head that holds excellent retention. Zesty hop aroma hinting at orange and pine with caramel malt in the mix. Flavors are similar to aroma with notes of orange & grapefruit zest, piney mango, and a hefty caramel malt and grain backbone. Medium body, semi-resinous, moderate bitter finish. Nothing outside the box as expected with the SHOP series, but is a very well crafted IPA showcasing one of my favorite hops.

L-Deep almost burnt orange color...nice lacing

S-Very oily, leafy, hop aroma. Love it. Reminds me of the IPA's before they got all sweet. Floral, leafy, oily...a bit of citrus as well.

T-Hop impression reminds me of Bitter Woman from Tyrenena which I haven't had in many years. Leafy, floral, touch of bright citrus. Malt is lightly toasty with a hint of caramel. Pretty balanced and the hop bill fights to exert itself but does just enough.

F-Medium bodied. Balanced feel. A little lingering bitterness on the finish but not a bitter bomb. Good hop flavors instead of pure bitterness.

O-This is a very good IPA. Very balanced with a nice hop impression.

 

Lakefront Brewery, Inc. "SHOP4 - Amarillo India Pale Ale"
12 fl oz brown glass bottle, "BEST BY: 31 JUL 18 13:58 3"
$1.83 @ Cherry Hill Wine, Liquor & Beer (Wegmans), Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: I'm a little disappointed to see poor ratings for this beer> Amarillo is one of my favorite hops and I was hoping for the best. Oh well, let's see... I can smell the hops as I pour the beer so that's good! It's got a mostly clear orange-amber body to it, and a finger-thick head of foamy yellowed off-white. The aroma isn't as bright as it could be, but it certainly works for a standard IPA. How strong is this? Hmmm, the label doesn't say. Ah, yes, 7.0% according to their website, so that works. It's fruity with some citrus, I think orange and some minor grapefruit, and a bit tropical as well. On to the flavor... there's a lot of caramel malt there, as well as bready and grainy malt, and then the hop flavors behind that. I'm getting the same notes from the hops, nothing's really changed there, but it's not as brightly citrusy as I normally find. Given this to taste blind, I think I'd choose Amarillo as the main hop, so they've at least got that, but then I'm not so sure I wouldn't think there might be another hop in there as well, I think that the choice to use so much Munich and crystal malt might have been a bad choice as a little bit more straightforward grain bill would have let the hops come through more clearly. Oh well. It's got a firm bitterness to it, and it finishes dry, but with more malt than hops lingering. Again, not great, but OK. In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp then smooth. Overall it's an OK IPA. As a single hop IPA I think it falters a bit because that gives you the expectation that you're going to get more hops. One more thing, the head has held up really well and it's left some very nice lacing about the glass.
Review# 5,919 4.25/4/3.75/4/3.75 =

Like Velcro or chocolate chip cookies, Amarillo hops are one of those happy accidents. A Washington hop farmer noticed a wild hop bine growing alongside his typical strains, and imagined the bright yellow-toned, strong citrus-scented cones would create some spellbinding beers. No bull! The medium-bodied Munich and caramel malt base help deliver Amarillo’s signature grape-fruit, melon and pineapple flavors.

 

12 oz bottle with a BB date of 15 July 2018.
Pours with a clear amber body topped by a durable, creamy white head. Most of the glass gets a coat of lacing from this.
Fruity and very floral aroma with a less floral flavor that suggests various tropical fruits.
Excellent feel from lively but soft carbonation in a medium body.