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Lyn Howard's picture

Lord Hobo Boom Sauce

October, 2017
Judges Rating: 
86
Aroma: 
20 / 24
Appearance: 
6 / 6
Flavor: 
35 / 40
Mouthfeel: 
7 / 10
Overall Impression: 
17 / 20

Lord Hobo’s Boom Sauce is a New England Style IPA, which falls under the BJCP American IPA style 21A.

New England IPA’s do not have an official standard, however the key components that people look for include a fruity, juicy hop forward aroma and flavor, less emphasis on the malt expression and less hop bitterness than traditional American IPAs, a soft and creamy mouthfeel and the dry finish that is characteristic of American IPAs. Boom Sauce starts with a strong piney, woody and slightly floral aroma that has a mild grainy malt note and a slight sugary sweetness. As is typical of many NE IPAs it was a deep golden color and it poured with a mild haze once the bottom of the can was disturbed. The white head was creamy in texture and that lasted as the sample was consumed. The bold hop flavor up front presented initially as pithy white grapefruit before fading to match the more resin-like, pine notes of the aroma. This was matched by an assertive hop bitterness and a low husky, grain-like malt flavor in the rear.  Clearly balanced towards hops, there was still a background sweetness and the finish left an almost sweet sensation on the tongue along with a low level of peppery spiciness. Medium bodied the hops were slightly harsh on the palate, however the medium-low carbonation minimized the overall prickly feeling and provided a somewhat creamy texture. This is a beer that ‘hop heads’ will love. It is a very good example of a traditional IPA, and in some ways more demonstrative of west coast hop culture than of a characteristically juicy NE IPA.