Sand Creek Lilja's Hop Nest Monster

Sand Creek Brewing Co.  Black River Falls, WI

Notes:

Extra Pale I.P.A.

12oz Bottle

7.0% ABV

Appearance:  Pours an orangish golden color…some bubble action in the middle…transparent…some head formed, but decided not to stick around…(3.5/5)

Smell:  Bitter initially…pale malts come out after…not overly floral or citrusy…grassy and sweet…after I really stick my nose in the glass, I pick up a hint of citrus, lemon maybe, but it’s only ‘cause I was really digging deep that I noticed it…definitely an “extra pale” smell…(3/5)

Taste:  Floral hops and bitterness right off the bat…there is a pale malt backbone that does ride all the way through but plays a deep second to the bitter hop flavor…the extra pale malts do linger and coat the middle of my tongue, but the bitterness is dominate and takes no prisoners…there is little other flavor that bitter hops and pale malt…(2.5/5)

Mouthfeel:  Light and fluffy…medium carbonation does fluff and create a bitter factory in my mouth…pale malts do run the middle of my tongue, but it’s a bitter beer…(2.5/5)

Overall:  Not my favorite…the extra pale malts with overly bitter hops is one concept, I guess…the bitterness is too dominant and leaves the pale malts in the dust, creating a train wreck of flavors in my mouth…there is little else going on here, leaving me wishing there was more citrus or less floral bitterness or maybe some balance with the malt…something…as it is, it’s a beer that I’ve tried and won’t again…(2/5)

Score:

(2.68/5)