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Josh Weikert's picture

Baby Daddy

Judges Rating: 
80
Aroma: 
20 / 24
Appearance: 
6 / 6
Flavor: 
33 / 40
Mouthfeel: 
7 / 10
Overall Impression: 
14 / 20

Session IPAs represent an attempt to make something like an IPA, only smaller (without, one would assume, being an American Pale Ale). The risk is that they just turn into low-alcohol bittering bombs, and unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your tastes) that's exactly what happens here.

The beer pours a bright gold, with moderate white head that is fairly persistent. It has a straightforward aroma of medium-high grapefruit, a low lemony zing, and a hint of honey.  

The promising aroma, though, gets overshadowed by an overly-firm bitterness that permeates the flavor. One can detect a low tropical fruit flavor and grainy background, but the prominent bittering and carbonic bite mute the other flavors. It feels prickly and tight on the tongue, with high carbonation and a medium-light body.

If beers like Lagunitas' Hop Stoopid are up your alley, you'll love this as a session alternative, but a bit less bitterness and a bit more character malt/flavor hop would make it more accessible. Even just reducing the CO² would be a help: degassing by double- and triple-pouring added some body and counterbalance.