Rustic Ridge IPA
Highland Brewing

12 ounce bottle in a stemmed tulip IPA glass.

Pours a see-through rustic orange color. White cap, 1f, settles to a film and leaves nice lacing rings. West Coast IPA look.

It has the “smells like a tree “ aroma. Lots of pine. Citrus blend, orange and grapefruit. A bit dank, too. West Coast IPA aroma.

Strong malt base, lightly caramelized. Piney and outdoorsy. Citrus flavor matches the aroma. West Coast IPA taste.

Medium body and smooth with a hop snap. A touch of hop bitterness mixed with a gentle dose of malt sweetness. Citrus rind and pine chew. Tingle.

Highland nailed this, it’s a solid West Coast IPA, brewed in Asheville, NC. Aromatic, flavorful, and it meets all the criteria.

 

 

Appearance: Pours a lightly hazed, soft golden-bronze hue with a medium-sized, suds, whitish head. Light lacing.

Smell: Crustless bread and biscuit middles with a nice pop of zestful pine, spiced citrus fruits and mild stonefruit.

Taste: Lightly bready, biscuity with a modest amount of sweet graininess. A punchy citrusy pith quality and an emboldened resiny pine flavor. Oiled grapefruit-orange, peppery, spicy herbs with some fruitiness of pineapple, peach. Moderate bitterness. Swings a bit dry nearing the fruity-piney finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Solid, likable.

Flavorful for an American IPA. After enjoying a lot of West Coast IPAs in the PNW, I can say this one is really good.

I’ve come to enjoy most anything from Highland Brewing, and this was no exception. Smooth, very satisfying mouthfeel with a hops-forward bitterness explosion.

 

Picked up a single from TW-Greenville, SC 10-30-21 for $2.49. Filled 9-9-21; consumed 2-24-22. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured orange with a nice white head.

Nose is a nice combination of floral and citrus.

Taste is straight ahead west coast style. A pale malt base displays a nice hop addition of citrus and mango. Finishes with a nice pine rind bitterness; 6/10 on my scale.

Mouthfeel is tingly and refreshing.

Overall a solid WCIPA. I am finding a good consistent quality control theme with all the Highland beers!

Purchased as a single bottle from Ingles for $1.50. Poured into a nonic pint glass.

L - Bright goldenrod with a slight haze with a two-finger yeasty off-white head. Head retention is excellent.
S - Strong pine tar. Assorted citrus.
T - Taste follows nose exactly, with not really any deviation. Extremely well-balanced, with a pleasantly clean, bitter finish.
F - Smooth. Easy-to-drink. Medium-bodied, with mild carbonation.
O - A very drinkable IPA. Not too complex, but it doesn't really need to be. Would make a good beer to get at a football game. Won't go out of my way to get this, but I definitely won't turn one down.