Cottonwood Endo India Pale Ale

Brewed by Carolina Beer Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Mooresville, North Carolina USA

Pours a hazy, sedimented, deep reddish amber color. It is topped by a frothy, initially one-finger thick, quickly disappearing, tan colored head. The aroma is sweet and fruity up front, with a finish that has a bit of hot alcohol to it. There are some hop notes here as well, though not nearly as much as one would expect from a beer labeled as an IPA; I get a sharp herbal note as well as some notes of currants. There is also a bit of mustiness here that seems to be wrapped up in the malt character.

The taste is tart up front, sort of reminiscent of a fruity, ripe, tart plum. The beer has a fair amount of maltiness to it, which seems to manifest itself via notes of prunes and fig. Somehow though the malt seems a bit flabby, or perhaps oxidized. There are some herbal hop notes here as well as a bit of fruity hop notes as well. The fruity hop notes are not quite citrusy (almost though), but do have a certain currant note to them. There is a light, balancing bitterness to this beer, but nothing that suggests that it is actually an IPA. It has a certain fullness to it, which in combination with the sweet malt notes, makes this beer almost a bit cloying. This is an interesting beer, mostly because it is so far off from being an IPA, and it is not even the most tasty beer either. It is decent, but in order for this beer to work, it really needed to be much tastier (meaning if you are going to call it an IPA, when it is obviously not, you better put one tasty beer in the bottle).

Poured from a 12oz bottle amber in color with a decent off-white head. Aroma was floral hops. Flavor was slightly sweet had some caramel malts in the beginning and finished with a hoppy bitter.

Nice looking, but full of particulate matter. I think it’s hop particals. Aroma is very rich. Caramel to the nose and also certainly hoppy aroma. The louthfeel is fizzt and smooth, but the flavor dissapoints a bit. Initially the flavor is metalic and bitter in a bad way. It’s not thin oor flat, it just has a boring character to its bitterness. More cascade would be better. It need a citrus punch.

Clear orange-amber with a large, resilient off-white head. Light floral hop aroma. Basic hoppy-malty IPA taste; not much to say about it. Palate is a bit watery. Hop bitterness in the finish and some biscuitiness. Pretty average IPA. Kinda boring, but drinkable.

Bottle. Pretty good drink. Orange color, slight foam. Tastes like a pretty decent and standard IPA. Dry finish, and all around great beer.

Thanks for the bottle Brad, cheers! Hazy orange pour, leaving an off white mound of foam. Cascade in the nose from the get go, accompanied by solid malt and caramel. Bitter-sweet hop/malt flavour with some underlying caramel. Perhaps a little too much malt for an IPA, but no real complaints from me. Great bitter finish, with ABV not in sight. Thanks again Brad!

Pours a light red with a constant thin white hed. Light to medium body with the standard hoppy taste an IPA should have. It has a very clean aroma, or maybe it was my frosty mug, but I still found this to be very refreshing.

On tap. Golden orange color with a thick head. Lots of hops in the aroma and flavor. Flowery with a dry finish and a decent caramel malt backbone. Overall basic, and very good.