(512) IPA

This beer was a gift from my recently relocated brother. I tend to get pretty deep into the offerings by local breweries here in Tennessee, but I like to try things from other states to see what they're working on. This is possibly one of the strangest names for a brewery that I have encountered thus far. I guess if you want to ensure that you are first in any alphabetical sorting, you use parentheses around a number. I will have to wait until next time to find a brewery named after a SQL injection.

The beer is a surprisingly dark brass in color that puts me more in mind of a DIPA than a regular old IPA. The head is about average height, but it has decent staying power and leaves quite a bit of lacing in its wake as it descends to a patchy layer on top of the beer reminiscent of the Hydra symbol (HAIL HYDRA!) The aroma is strangely wort-heavy with pine resin. I'm use to wort aromas in my German style brews, but this is unusual for an IPA. I guess venturing to a different state is going to result in some unusual things. Good for me.

First sip is definite pine resin with a caramel malt underlying it. That would be boring on its own, and so the brewer has made it so that the wort can be smelled and tasted as the beer leaves the mouth. It's a very strange trail off for an unusual beer. Normally, I'm not a big fan of pine hops in my beers, but this one seems to be working it very well. Still, a little fruit wouldn't go amiss.

Tip-in is furious carbonation attack with pine resin over a sweet caramel malt. The middle heightens the carbonation as the pine rises up in the malt leaves a nice, smooth bed underneath it with light flowers joining the mix. The finish becomes dry as the carbonation suddenly stops and the resin mixes with wort for the trail off.

Bottom Line: Not your everyday IPA.

3.0/5