Hi #9 I.P.A.

RB score 3.03

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, 6/23/2017. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with amazing retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big juicy apricots, peach, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, mango, citrus peel/rind, pepper, pine, honey, toasted bread, light caramel, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of apricots, citrus/pine/earthy hops, and moderate bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big juicy apricots, peach, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, mango, citrus peel/rind, pepper, pine, honey, toasted bread, light caramel, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of apricots, peach, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, mango, citrus peel/rind, pepper, pine, honey, toasted bread, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Nice complexity, robustness, and balance of apricots, citrus/pine/earthy hops, and moderate bready malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance. Bit of increasing hop astringency through the glass, but not overwhelming. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol for 5.9%. Overall this is a nice fruited IPA. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of apricots, citrus/pine/earthy hops, and moderate bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink, despite the increasingly bitter/resinous/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Very well balanced between juicy apricots and citrus/dank/earthy hop complexity; nice bready malt backbone, with no residual sweetness. A nicely enjoyable and unique offering.

Bottle. Floral orange malt and light orange peel aroma. Golden yellow with moderate head. Sweet perfume/orange malt and light orange peel flavor. Okay - nothing special.

12 ounce bottle from the fall sampler, 8/25/14. I admit this concept does not excite me. Pours a clear dark golden color with a large foamy off-white head. Good head retention. Aroma of apricot, pale malt, doughy malt. The taste is piney hops, pale malt, apricot. Medium bodied. About what I expected.