Awe Juice!!! by Gate City Brewing Co. is being evaluated as a Specialty IPA of the variant New England IPA (2015 BJCP Category 21B). It pours with a moderate stand of persistent, ivory foam which stands on top of a solid amber beer and appears darker due to the high level of haziness.
The nose is moderately-strong with this NE IPA and presents itself as tropical in nature: guava, pineapple, and papaya. Very light caramel and a hint of grain is all you’ll get in terms of malt. No off-flavors were detected.
The flavor follows the aroma for the most part being tropical fruit forward. There’s also a medium-high bitterness that lingers well into the aftertaste alongside resin and alcohol. These attributes are atypical of New England IPAs. The more sips one takes, the more a medium-low vanilla character emerges.
Gate City’s Awe Juice is a fair example of the style. The nose and the beginning of the flavor start out like some of the best examples of the style but the higher than average bitterness and the slightly too rough alcohol prevents the beer from being crushable.