Back Road Midwest IPA 2005 (and earlier)

Formerly brewed at Back Road Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
LaPorte, Indiana USA

A robust pine, grapefruit and peanut aroma, and a pretty decent bitterness throughout. Not a sweet IPA, more nutty and musty but the bittering hops do their job.

Coper with a huge pillowy white head. Citrusy hop nose with some floral notes fading into nuttiness with shredded wheat hints. Intenesely bitter citric flavor backed by a musty malt flavor, like old malted milk balls. A one (hops) trick pony.

good carrotty color; very brief head goes visually ice-tea flat before you can raise the glass. bold aroma of candied hop butter, papaya, perfumy caramel and a touch of doctor's office alcohol. nice bitterness crowds out all other suitors attempting to beguile the tongue, tho initially adequate carbonation and vanilla wafer malts are good sports to stay in the background and lightly serenade in rich harmony to help set the mood. then a very grapefruit-like bitter tongue-wash stumbles somewhat, gets pushy, lingering like it wants to become a permanent fixture of one's orafice, becomes a little needy and clingy-- while the background chorus that formerly softened his slight discordance has vanished. in short, the hops are left alone, and honking like geese. it's overall sucess depends upon how you feel about all that honking, i guess. i can take some, but not all night...

Lots of grapefruit and pine cone in this, but not overdone - there's a nice medium thick malt here that keeps this smooth and easy drinking. I could drink a few of these.

Some fruity, mildly earthy hop and Crystal malt sweetness in the aroma. Light-medium amber color, slight head. Citrusy hop flavor, some grapefruit and orange peel, with just a touch of toasty malt. Clean finish, medium bitterness. Drinkable but uninspiring.

First of all, very, very hoppy in flavor and aroma. The head was small and off-white with small bubbles that quickly dissipated. There was no to speak of and there was carbonation observed. The nose was that of grapefruit and the flavor was bitter from start to finish and then some. I still am not a fan of IPA's.

This brew poured a small head of off-white fine to medium sized bubbles that was mostly lasting and left a fair lacing. Its body was a transparent low carbonation light orange brown color. It has a mild malt hop aroma and a strong initial IPA hop bite that later settles down into a smooth hop finish.

Copper hue, with small white head and little lacing. Light to medium-bodied. Piney/grapefruit floral aroma with a hint of vanilla. Very hoppy taste with lingering bitterness. Dry and lively mouthfeel. Slighty astringent feel. Alcohol is detectable. A hop head beer, not very complex but quaffable when looking for something with some bite. I guess that the water in La Porte is so bad, it must be why I drink so much beer... Really past comment about the water is b.s., like the water in Lake county is any better, please spare me.