It’s been one of those weeks where I just can’t drink enough until I get to the point where it perhaps might have been a good idea to stop with the beer prior to the last, but still I power on with another popped top. Now drinking for escape is never an excuse, but like a good country and western song, I am mending the heartbreak of being separated from my two dogs, which are currently in the residence of my mother’s house in Dallas, Texas. Missing the affection of the sad equivalent of my children, I decide to pull a few more tops off, this time from a couple bottles of of Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo Extra IPA.
A true copper color defines the beverage as its poured out. The head that develops is a strong two fingers, but after a few moments deflates to about a dimes thickness. Despite the unimpressive head, it is a nice clean white foam, with decent lacing to boot.
The opposite of the recently reviewed Sam Adams Irish Red, the nose is hop forward with hints of breadiness under the cloud of bitter.
Calling this beer “extra IPA” is suitable due to the incredibly sharp, hop bitterness on the front end. The bitterness is so overwhelming that it initially overpowers the nice, warm grapefruit body of the beer.
Thankfully, after the initial abuse of hops, that flavor develops more as the palate becomes desensitized to the uber bitterness, allowing the malts show their face to make the beverage a well balanced IPA.
Overall it’s a fine IPA, really good actually, but not my favorite example of the style.
Prost!
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