Judge's Review: 90 Rating - Perfect Match IPA by Fire Maker Brewing Co.

Perfect Match IPA by Fire Maker Brewing Co. was judged as BJCP category 21A, American IPA.

Grapefruit jumps out of the glass, then the pine resin appears with a hint of sweet malt and a touch of caramel. All of this is reminiscent of an old-school American IPA. The hops are fresh and forward but still allow the malt to be noted. Clean fermentation. The beer is an orange gold with a little haze but nothing close to a NEIPA. Big frothy off-white head that drops out a little too quickly. The pine is more present in the flavor than what was noted in the aroma with the grapefruit coming across a little pithy. The balance is toward hop bitterness but there is substantial malt supporting it, leading to a medium-dry finish. There is a little light caramel malt coming through mid-palate. The malt is also noted in the aftertaste. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. A slight hop bite but not astringent. Some mouth-coating stickiness from the hop oils. 

Overall, Perfect Match is a very enjoyable old school mid-west American IPA. Nice citrus- and resin-forward IPA with substantial malt backbone and bitterness. I enjoy a good dry West Coast IPA as much as the next person, but living in the mid-west my first intro to American IPAs was right down this lane and I loved it. For me this is what I want in an American IPA.