Flossmoor Station Doppelgänger IPA

pours thick, cloudy amber with a white, fluffy head. the nose is lucious hoppy pine, citrus and grapefruit. the flavor is bitter and skunky, with the citrus being enveloped by the licked envelope aftertaste. the palate is sticky, but that might be some drunken association with the licked envelope taste. after a while, i can look past the odd flavor and pick up some of the richness of the hops and citrus fruitiness. it takes a bit of time to warm up to the flavor. well worth a try if you can get it. but you can’t. i wrote these notes on 1/16/2007. i am just catching up on my ratings. sorry. i don’t know why i apologize. i will fall behind again in a short while. but enough about me. how are you?

Golden tan color. Multi-hued yellow. Small white head. Hoppy floral nose. Very nice. Not the best IPA, but definitely worth a look if it’s on tap.

#1022, on tap at Radio Maria in Champaign Illinois.Clear lighter golden yellow with a medium sized medium lasting foamy white head. Nose has lots of hops of citrus and some pine but more soft really. Taste is very present with lots of malts but again this big beefy hopy punch that is bitter yet sweet at the same time. Excellent brew.

Draught. Pours clear dark yellow with a small rocky white head, somewhat lasting, excellent lacing. Aroma is light malt (grain, meal), heavy hops (flowers, citrus, grapefruit) and light yeast (sweat). Medium bodied, slick texture, soft carbonation and a bitter finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, heavy acidity and bitterness.

Hazy yellow with decent head. Very nice C hops. Not overwhelming, but good hops and not bitter at all. A bit soapy. Enjoyable, but not outstanding.

Served with a frothy white head, over a hazy, golden amber body. A thick, sticky lace clings to the glass on the way down. PNW’s are citric and dry without being overwhelming to the nose. A light floral quality creeps through. Palate is either a little too thick or a little less astringent than I’d like it. Malts find themselves a bit prominent and sweet in the flavor while the aroma-hops that dominated the nose make way for a more subdued, German hop bitterness that takes on a cool, menthol character. This was an IPA of good quality, like FSRB’s recent Vishnus Vice. However, given the name and the concept, I think this is an award waiting to happen. Good job, Andrew.

<font size=-4>On tap at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=292>Flossmoor Station, Flossmoor, IL 60422<font size=-1>

Draft. Okay, Matt, I may have been wrong when I said Schell had a German IPA before. My notes on <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/schell-pale-ale/787/>Schell’s Pale Ale had them wanting to just call it "German Pale Ale," not "German IPA." A small quibble. Looks in the glass like a regular German beer, with the color of a pilsener, the haze of a weizen and a thin lact head. The citrusy hop smell makes me think of a lemony hefeweizen, too. These comparisons end, though, with the first sip. A big blast of piney PNW hops, the unmistakeable catty taste of Amarillos that drives most same people to ask "Wut the hell is this?" and us hop heads to get our lips numbed. Lighter malts get overwhelmed at first, but finally a bit of Pils comes through later, and even lingers in the aftertaste.

Hazy golden pour with lingering white rocky head. The nose is initially a moderate floral hopping followed by strong bready/biscuity malt notes. The PNW hops contribute a moderate grapefruit and pine invitation. The flavor is a prominent bready/biscuity malt sweetness and some grainy notes that seemed a bit murky. The mixed bag of floral/herbal/earthy/ and finally citrus and pine hops seems to confuse my palate. There is a graininess, maybe even grassiness in the rather muddled mouthfeel that detracts for me. I welcome the spirit of experimentation shown here...this one is a single and not a home-run...and I encourage both of my favorite brewers to continue to pull out all the creative stops in the future...we’ll be there to support their efforts in any way we can, if only to help clear the taps for the next brew in rotation. It’s tough duty, but we are those kind of guys!