Tropical Marmalade Hazy IPA

Tropical Marmalade Hazy IPA by AleSmith Brewing Co. was reviewed under category #21A (American IPA) under the 2015 BJCP Guidelines. The pour revealed a subdued yellow, cloudy and hazy liquid that had very nice carbonation that resulted in small tight bubbles with a very good head retention. Again, the aroma of this beer was also subdued with hints of citrus fruits (grapefruit and oranges) and not much else. It was not overly hoppy in the nose like most IPAs. The flavor revealed a nice balance of sweetness from the malt along with a moderate hop bitterness. An IPA generally has a generous amount of hops, but in this case the hop offering was subdued and restrained yet it still met the necessary IBUs (international bittering units) in order to be an IPA. It was not a hop bomb in the very least, but still hoppy and bitter in flavor. Again, I got hints of citrus fruits (oranges and grapefruit), and I didn’t detect any notes of coconut, red berries nor mango as indicated. What was notable was the alcohol strength of this beer. It clocks in at 7.1% ABV and it is no lightweight in this category. The overall mouthfeel was light to medium, and the carbonation tasted very creamy as if it was nitrogen draught instead of C02. Overall, this is a nicely made IPA for the summertime with the citrus flavors and creamy, light mouthfeel and smooth finish. Even though this beer is subdued in hop bitterness, it makes up for it in alcohol strength.