Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Paso Robles, California USA

for whatever reason, I didn’t love the first one of these, but then I caught a whiff of the second, and it smells amazing. and it tastes great too.

From a 12oz Bottle. Pours a transparent, brassy gold color with a firm layer of white foam. Very clean, citrusy hop aromas with floral notes of orange blossoms. Mild grapefruit zest and a subtle layer of honey scented malt lying beneath. Medium light bodied, moderately carbonated mouthfeel with a texture that’s riding on the creamy edge for an IPA. Very clean, grapefruit zest hop flavors up front with a fresh herbal bitterness. Just enough caramel sweetness to add depth and body, but doesn’t crowd the quenching, refreshing attributes of the beer. Some pithy hop bitterness lingers in the finish, with just a slight amount of scratchiness. Well executed, this beer is ideally suited to be an everyday drinker. Plenty of flavor to satisfy the discerning palate, but also restrained enough to be enjoyed by the uninitiated hophead.

Bottle shared by footbalm, thanks for all the beers! Pours a light shade of orange with a thick and frothy white head. the aroma is heavy and enticing hops, mostly grapefruit. The taste was not really that bitter, it was more of a smooth and sweet hoppy fusion, well made and tasty. Fairly dry, but full of flavor. A great IPA for sure.

On tap DLD,this was a golden amber color with a fruity and caramel smell/it had a nice pleasant taste and a nice bitter finish to it witha few malt flavors overall a good ipa.CHEERS!

12oz bottle from South Bay Drugs. Pours out crystal clear deep gold with off white head and a mild amount of spotty lacing. The aroma has that pleasing combination of malty sweetness mixing with grapefruit hops creating a sweet citrus smell with a mild grapefruit note in the background. The taste starts with orange peel and grapefruit hop bitterness mixed with sweet malts and mild sweet caramelization. Then midway and toward the finish the maltiness recedes leaving a load of grapefruit hop bitterness unattended and wrecking mild havoc on the taste buds. Mmmmmm. Just what I expect out of an IPA. Yum. It dries out a tad into the finish leaving a wealth of citrus hoppiness behind in the after taste.

On tap at The Red in Santa Cruz. Clear burnt orange color with a small but dense head that sticks around for a while. Aroma is nice and hoppy. Lots of tropical fruit and citrus. Juicy and inviting. Flavor is an explosion of tropical hoppiness, with grapefruit and pineapple. There’s a floral sweetness and a lingering bitterness too. A perfect amount of caramely malt balances this beer beautifully. Mouthfeel is semidry and the body is a nice medium heft. Another great California IPA.

On tap at Churchill’s in San Marcos, CA--Poured a light colored copper-amber with a small frothy white head. Piny, fruity, full-bodied and delicious.

If you like Racer 5, this is a great one in comparison. Very tasty. 7.5% Union Jack! Have only seen it in grocery stores in the area of the brewery (central coast, ca).