BoomBox

Oranges, lemons and pine resin almost jump out of the glass and invite you to partake. Apricot and dried peach esters emerge with a noticeable alcohol presence. The grainy, toasty malt aromas come out of hiding after you acclimate to the citrus. Pouring a light orange with copper highlights, this brew is somewhat hazy from late-addition hops. The beer holds a large, white, creamy head that lingers to the last sip. The flavor is decidedly bitter and somewhat sharp but not quite harsh. Pine resin and earthy and woody hops coalesce in the flavor to overpower the citrus found in the aroma. The apricot and alcohol also make an appearance in the flavor along with the grainy malt. The malt profile includes some deep toasty and unsweetened toffee, which reminds me more of an English IPA or even some ESB examples. The beer finishes with some caramel malt sweetness, but this is a bit dried out from the hopping. The deep toasted malt aspect in the flavor seemed to take away from the hops, which I wanted to match the brightness of the hop aroma, but this is still a very enjoyable IPA with some alcohol warmth, a medium body and moderate carbonation.