Review - Blue Hills Brewery's India Pale Ale
"Our I.P.A. has a fiery amber color and weighs in at 6.6% ABV. We use a blend of American hops to give it a citrus, almost tangerine aroma from the top of the glass. As you drink the beer you can taste the sweet creamy caramel malt roll over your tongue. At the end once again taste the big hop flavor that is a trademark of all I.P.A.’s, but yet, so smooth that it won’t make you pucker at the bitterness." -- Blue Hills Brewery
Pours a medium copper color with a frothy tan head with excellent retention. Hazy body. Excellent lacing as a result of the rich texture, leaving behind thin, wispy rings of lace. Though the rather large frothy head, our nose initially detected a mild hoppy floral presence. Along with the hops, a fruity apple like presence was noted. The hoppy aroma was not overwhelmling stong, as you may expect in an IPA, but once the head diminished, earthy hops became dominant. Initial taste is slighty sweet and tart, finishing mostly tart with some strong grapefruit presence without the benefit of the citrus. Softly carbonated and light in body, the Blue Hills IPA is smooth and creamy in texture. Our palates were left in a tart and dry state for an average duration. The alcohol was well masked in this brew.
This is our first review from Blue Hills Brewery out of Canton. The hop finish is a bit stale and is missing the citrus tinge that should be accompanied here. Looking forward to some more brews as we are definitely huge advocates of local beer.
Reviewed on May 8th, 2010.
