Smuttynose "Bouncy House" IPA

I liked the last Smuttynose beer I had. Presumably, this "bouncy house" beer is made for fun and it should be light and frivolous. That will work for me, because I'm not in the mood for a really heavy beer. This is an IPA, though, so it may be a bit hoppy. As an American IPA, though, it should be much more drinkable. I guess we'll see.

The head is full of big bubbles that stick with gusto to the sides to leave a nice webwork on the walls of the glass. The color is a golden straw with the aroma of very light hops and citrus. I am really looking forward to having a beer after the day I've had, and this really smells like it will fit the bill nicely.

A sip brings a beer that socks the back of the mouth with a hop fist. The area around the hops is very watery and fairly tasteless, but that hops is only mildly cut by some malt and a bit of lemon. It's not a good start, as it comes off as unrefined and brutal. It's certainly not a sipping beer, that's for sure. But, it might be a good-old-fashioned drinking beer!

Tip in is floral hops and carbonation bite. The middle strangely simply continues the hops and adds a bit of grainy malt with a hint of citrus. The finish is yet more floral hops. I really want to like this beer more than I do, but they don't do enough to balance out the hops with anything else.

Bottom Line: A good beer, but too unbalanced for regular drinking.

2.5/5