Hopnoxious IPA
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

From the Westmere Beverage website, where I got the half-growler filled:

"One of our sales reps . . . from DeCrescente Distributing, helped create this delicious brew at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston. The fruity and floral hop profile comes from Pacifica hops (from New Zealand). We think it's tasty. ..."

A: Poured from the half-growler into a Harpoon pint glass. Body is clear, dark golden with a half-finger whitish head. Lots of visible rising carbonation throughout. A little bit of lace is left on the glass.

S: Not terribly strong, or hoppy, for an IPA. I get some fruitiness over cereal grains, and as it warms I get some florally, perfumey scents too.

T: First impression is that it drinks more like a somewhat hoppy amber or an APA - or maybe an English IPA - than an American IPA. My wife, the hophead, just shouted that it's "kind of malty" and I get her point - this is no West Coast palate shredder. After a few sips, however, the hops show up on the aftertaste, as a lemony bitterness. There's a lot of fruitiness up front and mid-sip, which gives way in the end to that lemony bitterness that at times seems modestly grassy and florally as well. Some spiciness, which may be attributed to the relatively high (7.3%) ABV, though I don't get the alcohol heat at all, either on the palate or in the belly.

M: Medium in heft, fairly active carbonation.

O: This is good, but if you're expecting a palate-shredding hoppy American IPA (and given that name, that's a reasonable expectation), then you may be disappointed.