No Name IPA
Elm City Brewing Co.

On draft at Elm City 01/23/16. Served in a pint glass, colour of an old penny, no head, no lacing, no carbonation - looks like it was poured yesterday. No smell to speak of but, to be fair - and I don't know when that started, but still - there was a lot of competition from food on the table. Supposedly brewed, I think, with cascade and centennial hops but was so malt-forward and flat that the hops were pretty-much undetectable. Tasted vaguely of musty basement and cleaning solvent. Zip for carbonation. Overall, one of the few instances where I wish I had ordered a Bud. Beer arrived within minutes of ordering but looked, felt and tasted like it had been picked up off someone else's table - hopefully they weren't sick.

 

 

Yep, that's the name of it. Once you get past the fact that you're drinking something they couldn't even come up with a name for, it's pretty good. Pours an amber-copper color with medium head and a good amount of lace. Sweet citrus hoppy flavor, not overpowering for an IPA, but good. Bitter hoppy, dry finish. This is a solid choice and I'm sure I'll get it again.

Elm City's flagship beer, and it is a very good beer. A hazy copper color, with a medium-sized head that is pretty sticky. A floral aroma. The hops are very nice, and they mellow out in your mouth. A little malt presence. An enjoyable, relaxed beer.

AP: Cloudy copper color, well carbonated with an impressive, foamy and tight off-white head that displayed good retention and some sticky, clumping lacing.

Nose: Herbal, spicey and sour scented hop with a strong yeast whiff and a hearty, wheat based malt.

Flavor: This IPA features a wonderful well-rounded hearty hop dominated flavor with earthy, and mildly spicey hop that rides over a sour yeast effect and a wheat-malt flavor that exemplifies what balance should be in an IPA. There's a pleasant earthy and leafy hop finish.

Feel: Medium body, crisp yet hefty feeling.

DA: Highly. This is a very popular Brew in this area and it's well deserved.

This offering from Elm City pours a cloudy dark orange that leaves a thin tan lace that is frothy. The smell is caramel, brown sugar, figs, a strong candy presence which is nice. The taste starts off with a lite bitter hop feel, followed by a spritz of fruity malt backbone for balance and it finished with a cinnamon/spice backdrop. I paired this beer with potatoe pancakes and apple sauce to help bring out the sweet, earthy, flavors in the beer.

Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub.

Shaker pint glass presentation. Airy 1/2" off-white head over reddish brew, with nice lacing. Aroma is pungently hoppy, but not overdone for the style. Taste initially makes the sweet, malty flavor's presence known, but quickly gives way to the hop character hinted at by the nose. Nicely balanced for an American IPA. Mouthfeel and drinkability are both excellent, and this beer is definitely one that deserves a more distinct name.

Bright white head that takes a moment to fade leading to pretty strong lacing throughout the glass. A glowing auburn in color that looks nice and thick.

The aromatics are a combination of different hop flavors: piney, resiny, and a bit of mild citrus. The smell leads me to believe that this one will be very juicy in terms of hops.

Very juicy in flavor, but with a darkening bitterness that actually balances out the intensity of the hops. This IPA leans over to the pine side of the hop flavor, but is not overpowering. The hop strength and their flavors are great for a hophead.

A bit thick/heavy on the palate; well balanced though.

This is one to take a growler home with you. After a few it does seem to be a little filling, but a great version of the style. A very fresh, hop filled IPA that is reminescent of DFH's 60 min. and Smuttynose's IPA.

Had this at Sunday Lunch...Nice coppery appearance with a beautiful head that laced all the way down the glass. Outstanding smell of floral hops, with a very good taste that was hoppy, but not overly biting. Extremely smooth on the palate as well as going down quite smooth. An excellent representation of the style.

Mmmm....tasty! Alluring medium-golden color, big white frothy head which hangs around all day. Plenty of lace-work down the glass. Nose was definitely hoppy, but on the mild side. Full-bodied and way (!) smooth on the tongue. Oh yeah! A hint of malt at the kickoff, but then all hops! Very floral and smooth, with a long-lingering pleasantness on the palate. Yummy!

overall: 4.35
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | mouthfeel: 5 | drinkability: 4.5

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