Appalachian Hoppy Trails IPA

Brewed by Appalachian Brewing Company (PA)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania USA

Stellar beer, very balanced, and very drinkable. One of the best IPAs around, I even like this better than Hopdevil!

The 2003-2004 Hoppy Trails IPA is different than previous years. Extra hops added in the brew kettle, the addition of a hop back, and extra dry hops, have made this IPA extrodinary. If you are looking for an athenic English style IPA, this is one to try. Get it while you can, it is a seasonal release only available for a few months.

on tap-pours a creamy offwhite head that laces with gold-copper color. Aroma is medium hops. Taste is medium hops with a good bite, citrus. Good carbonation.

Awesome appearance!!! Nice copper/light orange color, with an awesome white head which left a mound of foam in the glass until it was finished. Aroma is of a god amount of hops, however it is not overdone. Flavor is of some malt- and lots of hops. I would want more hops but it is well done.

Nice crisp hop aroma. Good copper/orange body & great hop bite in the taste. A very nice IPA - although I think it might be a bit thin.

This is one of ABC’s hoppist beers (Barleywine is close to it by IBU’s). Has a nice amber color, is also nicely balanced with a hoppy aroma and kind of a citric finish.

Draft at HDG. Nice light gold color with plenty of carbonation that leads to a full head and tons of lacing. Nice, fresh hoppy aroma. Taste has some citrus like tangerine and orange zest. Theres a bit of sourness in the aftertaste but it’s not that offensive at all. This is a beer that leaves you wanting more for sure, as the finish is crisp and dry. Surprisingly very good.

Hoppy trails came to me in an attractively labeled, brown, 12 oz. bottle, with a bottled in February notch. The look was a shade paler than a classic American IPA, but still quite attractive, especially due to a high clarity. The head was two finger thick, and generously foamy at first, and left some spidery lacing while diminishing. The aroma was floral and herbal hops, with a touch of popcorn like diacetyl. The taste was more APA than IPA, as the beer was rather highly attenuated and lacked a solid malt backbone. A distinct citric bitter snap typical of an American IPA was absent as well. Instead the hop varieties used were more earthy and spicy in character, and (what I believe to be Ringwood) yeast imparted a distinct funk. Not a bad taste mind you, just not on par with the great and lively IPAs we have come to love. Mouthfeel was solidly medium and aftertaste clean but nondescript. There were not many typical hop laden burps to speak of. A clean, middle of the road IPA, that does not take many chances. Comes across as a sessionable, but unexciting brew.