Still working through the haul from the west. I brought back a lot of bombers from Port Brewing, which I think is a great all-around brewery. Even better, they make some pretty damn good pizza and their sister brewery, Lost Abbey isn't too shabby either. I picked up a couple bottles of the 5th Anniversary Ale since anniversary ales are usually pretty good and/or interesting. I was surprised to find that this is "yet another hop monster of a beer". Is it a hop monster? Not really. But it is a pretty hoppy, yet well-balanced IPA. Definite sweet malt up front with a jack-in-the-box hop backbone. A swish releases a lot of carbonation before releasing a healthy dose of hop bitter, slightly pilsener-y. Everyone on BA keeps mentioning pine, but I get more of resin-y taste.
- Appearance: Somewhat pale on the double IPA scale. Thick, luxurious head on the pour, diminishes to a steady thin head.
- Smell: Pine-y resin-y aroma but not out of this world; actually, a bit mild.
- Taste: Sweet up front before presenting a solid hop bitter.
- Mouthfeel: High carbonation at first. The other half of this bottle has simmered down quite a bit. Finish is fairly clean, mild residue on the lips with a inoffensive hop linger.
- Drinkability and Overall: BA rates it at 10%ABV, so no on sessioning. It is, however, a pretty good all-around double IPA.
