Anderson Vally Hop Ottin' IPA

Anderson Valley Brewing Co.   Booneville, CA

Notes:

IPA

12oz Bottle

7.0% ABV

Appearance:  Pours a sunny light orange to copper…very bright…thick, whitish head formed about a finger width thick and remained…transparent in nature, I can see some bubble action in the middle…a good lookin’ brew…(4.25/5)

Smell:  Pineapple, orange citrus hops notes balanced with plenty of grassy/bready/barley malt aroma…some earthy hops spice bite, but very malty for an IPA overall…has a touch of cheap beer bitterness to it…some light floral tones in there as well…good, but not pungent…(3.5/5)

Taste:  Earthy, piney, mildly robust hops up front and throughout…it really does run the garden as far as hops flavors go: earthy, piney, mildly citrus, mildly floral/herbal…earthy/grassy/bready/barley flavored malt that does compliment well and is noticeably different that the traditional sweet caramel malts most brewers are using in their IPA’s these days…the more I drink, the more the grassy/floral hops show and leave any piney/citrus hops flavor that may have been present earlier…something though for me is off…(3.5/5)

Mouthfeel:  Medium body, medium carbonation…fluffs up bringing light, grassy bitterness to the palate…has a cheaper beer (a cheaper beer with tremendous mouthfeel) taste when this happens, but it isn’t necessarily a turnoff…wet, smooth, mildly robust…tons of earthy/grassy bitterness on the palate in the after taste that lingers…the carbonation and bitterness are as expected, I just don’t prefer the grassy tinge that comes along…(3.25/5)

Overall:  This is a good beer, but now that I’m reading the bottle, I know why I don’t necessarily find it to be a “great beer” and that’s the Northwest hops…I should have known that this was a NW IPA by the copper color, but the taste really is identifiable…there’s an earthy robustness to this beer that I do like but the addition of roses and bergamot have added a floral/grassiness that turns me off a bit…it’s definitely worth sticking in a mix-a-six for experimentation, but I would have a hard time finding room in my heart (and fridge) for an entire sixer…if you like the NW hops flavor, this one is for you, otherwise, venture elsewhere…(3.5/5)

Score:

(3.53/5)