Bear Brew IPA

Brewed by Bear Brew Pub (Black Bear Brewery)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Orono, Maine USA

Draught sample at the brewpub, mid-May 2007. Hazy caramel with no head to speak of and thus, no lacing; quite watery-looking....fruity aroma, apricots and sweet orange primarily, a touch of pine, all rather caramelized and no real hoppy sharpness or zing detectable....lightly bitter at the front, but sticky honey-fruit juice dominates and overwhelms....vegetal character of the other samples is largely absent here but the stickiness and lack of real hop presence keeps this in the realm of poor to mediocre even if it’s not infected....dry, cardboardy finish.

Draught pint at the brewpub, 12/28/05. A swiss cheese yellow (trying to come up with some more yellow descriptors) beer with a light copper-brass tinge to it and a small, foamy white head that recedes slowly to cover. Mostly clear, little to no lacing. Aroma is lightly grassy, with some strong herbal hop notes (oregano, cumin, basil) and a light touch of lemons and white cookie dough. Moderate strength, mostly hoppy, with a slightly vegetal (not-DMS) element, of plant stalks, leaves, wet grass. Dry butter conceals itself beneath the vegetal and herbal qualities, but is immediately noticeable in the flavor. Quite buttery it begins, passing to a light pale malt sugariness and finally some dry floral notes, almost soapy, with more dry leaves, light herbs and hints of lemon and orange rind here and there. The diacetyl does not overpower, by any means, though it could stand to be a little less apparent, as the hops do not succeed in clearing the palate, being only lightly flavorful and very minimally bitter. The body is medium-light, with a lively carbonation and slightly watery texture, though not thin. No alcohol apparency.

Color is deep rich copper with a tan head, lots of fine lace all over the glass. Smell is of bitter herbal hops and of butterscotch-like ringwood yeast. Taste is same as smell. Biting herbal and floral hops. Bitter finish and bitter aftertaste. Medium bodies, the malt stands up a bit but a little heavyhanded with the hops. Other than that though, tasty and would make a nice session beer.

An ok IPA, but I agree with Sammys it seems like this beer is fighting against itself for a dominant flavor. I’ll have it again, but it’s not my favorite beer offer there.

This had a decent hop presence but it tasted unbalanced, as if the malt base were watered down some. Its better than a lot of stuff that’s out there, but I didn’t really like it all that much.