Georgia 1UP IPA

American IPA (BJCP category 21A) is a well-traveled road these days, and Southern Sky’s Georgia 1UP IPA is a familiar and pleasant walk down it.

It pours deep gold with a slight haze and a thin, white head. The aroma is resiny, suggesting a healthy dose of late and/or dry hopping, with moderate melon and grass aromas. There’s also a low background grainy aroma, but not much else. It’s pretty restrained overall, which is a little surprising, given the style.

The flavor leans heavily on the same fruity/grassy profile as the aroma, and adds a nice, assertive bitterness along with a touch of caramel (or, less charitably, what might be diacetyl. Still, it tastes just fine!).

In fact, “just fine” describes the entire beer. It lands a little on the “average” side, but in IPA an “average” version is OK, and if its hopping suits your palate then you’ll find nothing to complain about.