Moerlein "Rivet" West Coast IPA

A gift from a thoughtful brother, this beer should be from his current home in Cincinnati, but I look at the can, and it… yes, actually, it’s from Cincinnati, so … I guess, spot on. Now, I genuinely don’t remember the last time I had a west coast IPA (as many breweries have switched to the NEIPAs). I don’t even remember their flavor profile.

The gold beer has a bit of wheat color to it, and the blotchy head boils down to a suitably mottled cap with a few naked patches peeking through. The aroma is a musty malt over a very sedate layer of floral and pine hops. It smells good, but the pine does seem to poke out and sting a little bit. I’m looking forward to the beer, but I do so with more trepidation than I think I should have.

First sip is reminding me what I liked about the west coast variety. The malt hits with a thud, and the hops are sprinkled on top with a light touch, but they are bringing flavor. It’s hard and soft – light and dark – Jar Jar and R2D2. I am, therefore, of two minds on it, still.

Tip-in is very light tingle with flowers in the nose and sweet grains on the tongue. The middle swiftly moves on to a dust of pine and floral hops rising up into the mist while the malt is a swift slurry of grains that flows across the tongue, battling bitterness with sporadic sweetness. The finish is not exactly dry, but the lack of fruits means that there isn’t moisture in there to dampen the bitter haze.

Bottom Line: Worth the challenge.

3.25/5