Blackhorse IPA

You can't really judge too much by the cream ale that I had before from Blackhorse. The fact is, a cream ale is a very difficult brew to get just right. Instead, this IPA has every possibility of being exactly what I want. As for the brewer, I certainly hope they can rise to meet the challenge.

She's a frothy beer, isn't she? As soon as I opened the can, foam cascaded out like I had just unplugged Mt. Vesuvius at my kitchen counter. This foam leaves lacing in the glass, and it leaves a big sponge of fun bubbles right in the middle of the slightly hazy honey-colored beer. The aroma of biscuit malt supports the citrus and floral hops nicely.

First sip is sweeter than most IPAs, and it has a lot more floral and pine hops than I'm used to these days. I will admit that I like citrus hops and the tropical ones quite a bit, but this shows a darker, more warm side to the hop that I don't get as often, but I certainly don't discourage it.

Tip-in is sweet biscuit malt with almost no carbonation activity at all and a few grassy grains embedded in the biscuits. The middle is where the mango, pineapple, oranges, and papaya have been hiding the whole time - right in plain site. The finish is a rise of the floral and hint of pine as the bitterness grabs hold, but not too hard.

Bottom Line: An excellently restrained platform for showcasing some good hops.

4.25/5