Could be a great Summer IPA, at last! Sweeter than many, and the hops part of the equation is downright lemony. In fact, if you served me this IPA in a blank bottle and lied and said it was a shandy, i’d believe you. Good pale yellow color, cloudy, bright flavor and a more sane 4.5% alcohol. Yes indeed, the more i get this beer past my teeth, the more it tastes perfect for Summer. Could be because today was 85ยบ and humid and just got off work, so any old beer might taste great rightaboutnow, funksoulbrother.
As far as body and hop elements, this won’t get high marks. Tasty but not fulfilling, and not sphinct-puckeringly hoppy. But for its purpose, it’s excellent. A light and lemony beer for a hot afternoon, and one or three before dinner won’t make you too woozy to eat. As an IPA in the species of IPA’s, this might get a 5-point-something. But because i declare it fit for a particular purpose, as a member of the beer race, the suitable rating is 7.3 and perhaps even higher on an appropriately hot afternoon. Right now it tastes like a 9, but my rational self reminds me that i am just plain thirsty today.
Update… and a week later picked up a real sixer of Bonobos, instead of the 4 bottles which came in my sampler “Primate Pack” from CB CraftBrewing. It holds up, all the elements are there even on an unduressed palate. It’s official, this is the Beer Of Summer for 2016.