Clown Shoes Supa Hero

Clown Shoes Beer (Mercury Brewing Co.)   Ipswich, MA

Notes:

IPA

22oz Bottle

8.0% ABV

A beer from the cellar!

Clown Shoes beer is contract brewed by Mercury Brewing Company in Ipswich, MA...

This beer was brewed 12/2011 and enjoyed on 1/3/12…typically, IPA’s should be drank within 6 months or less of brewing, with purists saying less than 3 months…I’m expecting a more malty IPA, with the malts outlasting the hops in freshness…we’ll see…

Appearance:  Pours a cloudy caramel orange color…has the look of a malty IPA rather than a west coast, citrus dominant IPA…nice thin layer of dense foamy bubbles, just a touch off white…tons of “legs” along the edge of the glass…(3.75/5)

Smell:  Very much full of sweet, caramel malt…no surprise the hops aroma has faded over time and more of the malt is prominent…some deep earthy dankness, grapefruit and yeast to it as well…it’s got a richness to it that I like, though I wouldn’t call it aromatic…(4/5)

Taste:  Tons of bready malt and yeast flavor in the beginning…piney/earthy/resinous hops break out in the middle phase, taking over the sweet, bready malt and returning this to a more conventional strong flavored IPA…it’s a bit robust once the brew really takes over the palate, leaving a earthy bitterness for me to chew on…some citrus hops notes very subtly shows up late…the flavor has borderline double IPA characteristics, reminiscent of Joseph James Hop Box I tried recently…it’s got a nice balanced flavor that I’m really enjoying…this is definitely more of a traditional, strong IPA and not a west coast, citra bomb…yum! (4.25/5)

Mouthfeel:  Medium to full bodied, with medium carbonation…chewy…really nice…(4/5)

Overall:  For being over a year old, this IPA has aged very nicely…I’m interested in seeing how the brewer intended the flavor to be, so I’m definitely getting another, fresher example…it’s got tons of balanced flavor, I suspect though it’s more malt dominant than it was when it was initially brewed…as it is, I’m excited I have over half a bottle left…it’s very much a sessionable brew that will bring about a happy buzz the whole way…very drinkable, very sip-on-able, this is a great brew that I recommend for your enjoyment…you’ll like it! (4/5)

Score:

(4.05/5)