India Pale Ale
Keweenaw Brewing Company

Originally reviewed on March 7, 2006. On tap at the brewpub. Finally, a KBC beer I’m impressed with again. These guys are so hit or miss. And I’m not talking about batch variability. Here, this IPA I think is a fine example of what I can imagine a good English style would be, without the crushing grapefruit and resin of a west coast hop dominated version. This is more gentle. Pours a chill hazed orangish yellow, with a tint of amber. Head is creamy and off-white. Aroma is a gentle waft of fresh mown lawn, your grandmother’s perfume and a hint of rosewater behind a Hindi’s ear. Flavor on the palate is an immediate and intricate obese vegetal 14-year old, crying for sugary sweets. He gets what he wants in a peculiarly bodied, not watery, but not heavy, even creamy sugar of malt and fruity sweetness. There’s a real intricacy to the hops in this beer. Mellowness, deft moves as though the hops in this beer were the delicate breast surgeons of Hollywood, perfecting their slicing and dicing with lemongrass, perennials and parching aloe vera. It’s a cacophony of gentle tones, quietly barking for their own right to have some beggin strips. Here a gentle spiced fruit yaps at the musky Northern Brewers, as if to reprimand the dominating preservatives qualities. The beer finishes with a smack of starfruit and unrequited passion. Delicate, supple and fulfilling. Finally, a KBC beer I can enjoy.