Tasting: IPA

Big up's to Eric for getting me the custom pint glasses in the picture above. They say "Rowdy Reptile Brewing, Since 2009" which is very cool. I received 2 glasses and a big glass pitcher as groomsman gifts for his wedding. Thanks to Eric and congratulations.

As for the tasting today, I am writing about our second attempt at an IPA.

Brewed: 2/21/2011
OG: 1066
FG: 1011
Alcohol: 7.2%
Hops: Magnum, Centennial, Columbus, Amarillo, Chinook

Aroma: Bright fruity and floral hop aroma, very nice; slight alcohol; some breadiness from the malts.

Appearance: slightly lighter than in the picture, but the color is somewhat "dull" as it's not very bright. The brew is decently clear once it warms up, but I would like it to be clearer. The cloudiness may be due to the dry hopping, and we'll try cold crashing longer next time.

Flavor: Very citrusy but not as bitter as the estimated 85 IBUs would suggest. The bittering hop we used (magnum) is known for being a very "clean" bittering hop, and as a result may not give that "hop bite" that we like. The brew does hide its 7.2% alcohol well as it has a good drinkability, but it does not have the crispness I want.

Overall: This is just a 'meh' beer for me. I dont know if it is because of the magnum hops we used, or our palates being used to super bitter beers, but this one almost tastes like a Pale Ale instead of an IPA. Unfortunately Elise has not been able to try this one so I cant get her input, but after this somewhat disappointing batch, I think I am going to take a break from brewing origonal IPA recipes and instead brew other people's tried and true recipes. We used a lot of hops in this beer (7 oz) and it should be much hoppier/bitter than it is, but again, I dont know if our palates are just ruined. Our neighbor seems to like it though, so that is a plus.


We probably wont brew an IPA for a while as the upcoming list is Dubbel, Schwarzbier, and Doppelbock. The schwarz and doppelbock are lagers and the doppelbock will need to be lagered in our fridge for 6-12 weeks before we bottle it so we are planning on brewing this about a month before Cooper arrives so that it can lager while we are busy adjusting to our new house guest. We might try to squeeze another brew in there somewhere, but if we do it is likely to be either our Black 'N Mild or the porter. We'll see.