Highland Kashmir IPA

Brewed by Highland Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Asheville, North Carolina USA

Bottle. Flowery apple/apricot aroma - slightly musty. Medium yellow with small head. Very unique hops flavor - initially just a dry sensation with the bitterness building to a crescendo then very slowly fading away. Slight pine flavor - never seems to get too bitter. Impressive - the hops characteristics of this beer are a work of art - incredibly well-balanced without going over the edge.

Bottle. Pours golden with a moderate head. Aroma is floral and piney, rather maltier and sweet than expected but pretty nice. Flavor mostly nondescript IPA: generic bitterness with a hint of floral hops and a bit more maltiness than usual. I’d prefer more flavorful rather than just bitter hops, and a bit more complexity. Not bad, but certainly the weakest of Highland’s usually strong offerings.

A very nice IPA. More sweet than hoppy, but both are present in the flavor. The aroma was consistant of orange blossoms, yeast, and pine. The flavor had some decent hops, some orange, some lemon zest, some pine, and a solid but thin palate with a dry finish. Their’s only a hint of bitterness, and it’s a very good session beer.

Bottle courtesy of alaskaiscold. Pours a clear gold color with a off white head with little retention. The aroma is light, a bit moldy, a bit yeasty with barley any hop pressence. The flavor has a light sweet malt with a super light pine and some more yeast. The mouthfeel is a about right, oily and light over the tounge with a crisp bitterness... though it doesn’t finish so clean. This wasn’t too bad, but it certainly doesn’t taste or smell like the style too much.

Hazy amber color with a small taupe head. A hopsack, herbs and horsesweat aromas. Mild orange peels, sweet honey and malt flavors start the parade. Hops flavors sneak out mid quaff with a touch of licorice. Quite strong in herbal in the hops. A quenching IPA that has a mild watermelon rind hint.

Clear golden yellow with a smallish white head. Aroma is like that of a green bottled lager that has spent a few days in the sun. Flavor has a bit of malt with no detectible hops. If this were a blind tasting I would have guessed this as a BMC product.

Bottle. So far, I have not been wowed by any of the Highland beers. However, this one is pretty good. Pours golden with a white head. Light hoppy citrus aroma. Flavor is very heavy on the malt and citrus flavors, so this may not be for everyone. Finishes crisp and bitter.

T’was a nice little brewery in downtown ashville with live bluegrass and pool tables at the bar upstairs. Nice 12oz bottles from my road trip down there. Tasty oily hops with a light body. Good session ipa from the east coast.