Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Offshore India Pale Ale

Brewery: Offshore Ale Brewing Co.
Location: Martha's Vineyard, MA
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: B

On tap today we have an IPA from Offshore Ale Brewing Company on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The Offshore IPA is golden amber with a slight reddish tint. It is very hazy. I'm not sure if I accidentally bumped or shook the bottle before pouring, but I got a huge fist-sized head. The head is light tan in color and both creamy and foamy. The nose picks up fruit, flower and pine from the hops, along with a dose of sweetness and bread.

The palate picks up bready malt along with floral and piny hop notes. There is a medium bitter hop kick. There are also some berry flavors detectable. On the finish, the piney bitter hops linger paired with some faint bready notes. The Offshore IPA is medium-bodied with bit of astringency.

The Offshore IPA is a very drinkable beer that is well balanced between malt and hops. Its only downfall is that it is actually a bit too balanced for an IPA, which is a very hop-forward style. If this was billed as a Pale Ale I would probably have rated this higher. The Offshore IPA drinks more like an American Pale Ale with a hoppy kick. Fans of Red Seal and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale would do well to check this one out.

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