.jpg)
I picked up this can and was immediately enamored by the detail and very burgh-ness of the idea of tailgating. Nobody tailgates quite like Pittsburgh fans. But then I looked at the back of the can. It is brewed and packaged in New York. Mind you, it's not New York City, and, in point of fact, it is closer to Pittsburgh than it is to NYC. Still, it just doesn't seem right to have a beer intended to flatter the fans of Pittsburgh that isn't even made in the state, let alone the same county. Hell, it looks like this brewery is closer to Buffalo, so I'm not sure why this isn't branded for the Bills. Well, I went to their website, and they have a Buffalo Fan Zone IPA. This really seems like a little bit of bull.The beer pours fine as a medium copper with an off-white head that is particularly sticky, but I'm not sure I'll be getting a whole lot of lacing. Mind you, I'm going to get some. But that's once the half-inch of head somehow manages to boil away, and it seems to be taking its sweet time. The aroma is very good with tropical over citrus fruits and a little bit of pine. Whatever I think about the marketing people, the brewers may shut them up.
The smell made me believe that this was going to wind up having a little bit of a bite to it, and the bite doesn't really seem to be there. Maybe it's a reflection of the relatively languid 5% ABV, but the beer seems smooth and still manages to have flavor without that usual bitter bite from the hops. A caramel malt seems to be helping things along, but as a sipping beer, this is not bad at all. Let's see how it swigs.
Tip-in is moderate carbonation buzz over tropical and citrus peels with a pine spritz for good measure and a light helping of bitterness. The middle sends carbonation to the roof of the mouth where it meets with bitterness to cause an unpleasant sensation while a relatively smooth caramel malt meets up with smooth fruit juices in a good yet weak center of the beer. The finish flushes the bitterness out as it joins fruit peels into the trail off.
Bottom Line: I can do without the pandering, but the beer is not bad.
3.5/5
