Using organic barley-hops, Smart Beer became New York’s first organic brewery in 2016. Closer to a Brit-styled IPA with its dewy mossing and cellared fungi musk overtaking any bitter piney grapefruit expectancy – yet surprisingly diverting to dried-fruited raisin, prune and apricot sweetness. Molasses-honeyed sorghum syruping seems to coat the cocoa powdered bottom. A decent changeup.
Tidy red ale/ hazy IPA blend forwards straight-up lemony orange, apple and peach tanginess to mild grapefruit-peeled piney Chinook hops (of an IPA) with lightly spiced toasted amber graining (of a red ale).
Classic West Coast-styled IPA (Columbus/ Simcoe/ Citra hops) lets lingered grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and tangy pineapple whims settle across dry piney hop resin and above pale malt sugaring. Sharp citrus bittering never coarse or astringent.
Yellow grapefruit sunshine lingers thru sweet orange peel spritz and candied lemon tartness given light piney hop bittering over heavily creamed oats. Double dry-hopped Citra influence enhances brisk tropical fruit juicing securing tertiary peach, passionfruit, papaya and mango tang.
On tap at Plank Pizza, brusque lemon-seeded grapefruit rind bittering rides alongside dank pine resin as ancillary spiced pineapple tang and navel orange spritz sweeten pale malt spine.
Perfectly streamlined Citra-hopped IPA brings sunshiny lemony yellow grapefruit spicing, salty guava souring, zesty pineapple tang and mandarin orange tartness to the surface in ‘pleasantly light-bodied” fashion. Slightest pine resin dries out at sedate pale malt bottom.
Bright tropical fruited thrust invites dry pine minting and perfumed juniper musk to sharply brisk lemony grapefruit bittering contrasted by peachy orange peeled pineapple sweetness and spunky spiced malt sugaring.
Modest New Zealand-hopped (Nelson, Rakau, Motueka, Wai-ti) pale ale lets lightly salted guava-gooseberry tartness flow softly into lemony grapefruit sunshine and delicate pine tones above mild flaked oats.
Fleshy Brussels lace covers hazy russet hue of robust IPA. Brisk Citra-hop explosion brings lemon zest, bruised orange sweetness and mild passionfruit tartness to the fore as piney Columbus hop herbage enters the (6.66% ABV) fray. Creamy cookie dough spine thickens its cereal malt base.
Strong 7% ABV with rocky tan head and copper body provides rummy twang to waxy mango and orange vodka frontage. Lemon orange cake batter enriches caramelized pale malting.
On tap at Hop & Vine Taproom, inaugural Captain Zig recipe is easygoing summertime IPA. Sweet orange peel zesting and dusty floral spicing contrast sour gooseberry-guava salting and lightly embittered grapefruit swipe of briskly tropical Amarillo-Citra-Mosaic-hopped moderation.
On tap at Growler & Gill, sturdily staid Midwestern IPA shoots for late ’90s stylizing as dry lemony grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and tingly peach sweetness stay moderate against resinous pine stead over grainy pale malts.
