Downtown Grill Woodruff IPA

Brewed by Downtown Grill & Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Knoxville, Tennessee USA

Draft at Knoxville Brewer’s Jam. Poured an amber color with a small white head. Light hoppy citrus aroma at the nose. The flavor was a nice IPA balance but not overly bitter. Light but lively.

Draft sampler at DGB. Clear amber color with a moderate white head that diminished slowly. Small hop aroma. Light to medium body. Moderate hoppy flavor with short small bitter finish.

on draught. Pours pretty red with a decent white head. This ale has that strange faint winey aroma I noticed in nearly all of Downtown’s brews and of course, hops. The flavor is fairly hoppy, but too thin and followed with a somewhat bitter, nearly sour aftertaste. [Oct 12 ’07] Draught again. This is a very puny, thin ipa. It has many similar characteristics to a pale lager. Healthy doses of corn, apples. The hops are light and add a mild papery flavor. This is not my favorite india pale ale.

Draught. Pours pale, transparent red-gold. Light hoppy aroma. Flavor is, of course, mostly hops, but it isn’t as overdone as a lot of IPAs are.

Tap. Fragrant floral hop and caramel malt aroma. Pours golden brown to bronze with an off-white head; good lacing. Hoppy and malt intertwined flavors. Medium bodied and crisp.

draft. golden orange...small head...not too much lacing...yeasty aroma...classic IPA flavor, well hopped. Not bad, infact pretty good.

When I had this beer last year, I spit it out, it was that disgusting. I recently gave it another chance, and guess what? I was right the first time! Clear amber with a touch of pink(!), small head. Sharp hoppy nose reeks of overchlorinated swimming pool. Citric fruitiness and ever-so-lightly toasted malt flavor is quickly overwhelmed by those weird hops; funky sweet/acrid burning plastic, or NJ chemical refinery. Nice mouthfeel though; no carbonation the eye can detect, but tingly on the tongue, as others have noted. I liked the *quantity* of bitterness in the finish, but it left my mouth tasting like I had just gargled with strong cat piss. Repeatedly. I love a good IPA, but this is positively vile! Harsh rating for a harsh beer.

The brewer at Downtown is formerly one of the original 'beer guys' with the (RIP) New Knoxville Brewing Co. Tweaking the old New Knox IPA recipe here and there created this very acceptable IPA. Worth a try if you're in Knoxville. Good food too.