Thursday, May 20, 2010

Smuttynose IPA

Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Location: Portsmouth, NH
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: B+

Up for review today is the Smuttynose IPA. The Smuttynose IPA is golden with a faint reddish tint and a slight haze. The head is bubbly and off-white in color. The nose has pine and fruity hops up front along with wheaty malt notes and some earth.

On the palate, the Smuttynose IPA leads with a bitter hop note. Also notable is a wheaty malt note. The hops component has pine, herbal and grapefruit notes along with a resinous hop character. There is also some woody and earthy flavors. The finish has lingering bitter hops with an espresso-like bite. The Smuttynose IPA has a medium body that is well matched to its flavor profile.

The Smuttynose IPA is a good one for the bitter hops fans. There is a nice diversity to the hops flavor profile along with a solid malt backbone that holds everything in balance. This is quite well rounded for a beer with such a bitter kick.

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