Pour Judgement IPA

This IPA is definitely new-school in the way that there is zero malt to get in the way of the hop profile. However, it does start off with a nice, bready, Pils-like malt backbone, which provides support for a bright complex hop profile featuring grapefruit, pine needles and a hint of lemon. This beer truly puts the pale in India Pale Ale — it pours a very light straw color with light haze and a creamy and durable white head. The flavor follows the aroma with moderately high bitterness and a clean dry finish. This beer is quite tasty but comes across more like a German Pilsner with American hops and elevated bitterness, and the dominant bread dough character from the malt is overwhelmed by the hop profile. A bit of malt complexity with some nuttiness or biscuit character (no caramel needed) would be welcome here. That being said, this beer is exceptionally clean and has enough hop complexity to keep IPA fans intrigued to finish a pint and look forward to a second.