Bend Elk Lake IPA

Brewed by Bend Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Bend, Oregon USA

Draft at the Brewpub: Pours a hazy orange color with a large white head and thick lacing. Nose is mild hops, citrus and sweet bitterness. The taste is flowery and citrus oriented with caramel and malts. A little mild in flavor intensity and wetter feeling than I like my IPA’s.

Amber body. Aroma is hugely hoppy with notes of citrus, grapefruit, pine, more fruits, the works. Flavor and balance are nearly flawless. Doesn’t offer huge complexity, but it’s still liquid hop juice after having it over a year later.

Huge fruity nose, some herbal hoppiness, and the flavor is quite nice. Enveloping your palate, with some rich creaminess from the malts and a very defined hop profile. The flavors distringuish themselves individually, instead of coming together all at once as a balanced beer. Very clean and crisp, and easy to drink, just very run of the mill. Re-rate @ Brewery - The first thing I notice is the massive lacingleftover after the initial head dies. This is a good looking beer. Big hoppy aroma, monster grapefruit, flavor is passionfruit and guava, very juicy and fruity, concentrated almost pulpy and tropical, unique and delicious, this is like drinking a completely different beer from the time I had it at the Bier Stein. Amazing malt character and a fruity lingering finish.

(Draft: Bend Brewing Company in Bend, OR) This is an IPA, but the nose is so fruity, I thought I was served an apple ale. Very light hops aroma starts to come out once my nose becomes accustomed to the fruitiness. Thankfully, the flavor is much more IPA-like, lightly sweet, and reasonably malty, but the moderately bitter hops is the strongest of the flavors. Still, not a huge hop bomb, but at least this beer has more flavor than their lighter offerings. Clean and fairly crisp on the palate, medium bodied. Light amber in color with a small, off-white head that fades to a rim. Hardly any lacing to speak off. Again, barely above average for the style, it’s easy to drink with no negative qualities. These guys just need to find a way to inject more excitement and adventure into their beers.

On tap at New Old Lompoc. Clear amber with a white head. CItrusy hop aroma. Flavor of bitter grapefruit and citric hops and a touch of malt, some caramel perhaps. The body was on the thin side with moderate carbonation. Decent, but can use more malt character.

on Tap at the brewpub. Moderate brown/amber with a thin white head and only flecks of lacing. Pale only moderate hop aroma and quite mild hoppy flavor. Quite tame for an IPA. Pleasant though and very drinkable.

On tap pours mahogany, very nice clarity with a smooth white head. Citrus hops in the nose. Starts with a small malt profile that is quickly taken over by the hops leading to a grapefruity bitter finish. Not quite as bold and full bodied as most IPAs around here, but still a nice beer.

Sampled draught at Bend Brewing Company, Bend
Shimmering gold, no head. Nose of piney grapefruit & nice PNW citrus, that’s what I’ve been looking for! Flavor: wtf just happened? There’s little to no bitterness and a watery finish. I’m sorry but you can’t dry hop a pale ale & call it Indian.