Northwoods IPA

I was genuinely shocked when I found that this was not my first New Hampshire beer. This is, however, my first beer from Northwoods. Suitable for their name, they have various animals on their can which includes things such as elk, geese, bears, wolves, and even a bald eagle. The bald eagle seems out of place with all of the other animals, as it is the only one that is protected from being hunted in any capacity.

The very hazy orange beer produces unexpected amount of head that fizzles down to an uneven layer of bubbles across the top that are very tiny, but slightly larger bubbles cling to the sides. If I hadn't looked at the can, or if this wasn't in fact a review of this beer, I would have guessed that this was a beer from Bearded Iris. All of their beers seem similar in their impressively hazy aspect to this beer. It is a presentation that I am particularly fond of, so this beer is off to good start. The aroma is slightly tart with citrus and tropical fruits awaiting my taste.

First sip is quite unbalanced. It's all tart up front and on the backend, but the middle is as bitter as almost any beer I've had. It's quite the ride, and it's not good. I don't know what else to say other than I hope that a full gulp is better than the sip, or I've just wasted my money. Well, I've done it before. Coffee beers do it to me all the time.

Tip-in is gentle carbonation above fruit rinds of both citrus and tropical fruits. The middle arrives with the onset of bitterness that does not take over the mouth, but tartness and a pall of incomplete juiciness that tastes more like seeds and the connective tissue that you might pull out of a grapefruit. The finish is abysmal with bitterness coming down hard before dryness and bitterness take the remnants of fruit into the trail off.

Bottom Line: It had so much going for it, but it has failed.

1.25/5