Mad River Jamaica Sunset IPA

Brewed by Mad River Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Blue Lake, California USA

The color was medium orange. The head was creamy, off-white, and fizzy. The aroma was hoppy with a strong citris note. The flavor was dark fruit, citris, very hoppy, waxy/bitter at the back of the mouth. The palate was lively. The finish was waxy.

Bottle: Dark straw, somewhat dirty, large foamy off-white head, spotty lacing.   Nice aroma of hops and citrus bitterness.   Little bit of a mealy malty nose, but not much.   Nicely built hop and citrus bitterness on the tongue.   Milt malt background, just enough to carry it along. &bnsp Actually, this one is much better than I thought.   Soft hop bitterness lingers.   Body and mouthfeel are full to moderate.   Even mild sweetness is present.   Not brash, well balanced, with enough of a malt background to make it not so one sided.   Yeah, this one was quite enjoyable.

Bottle shared by papsoe. Hazy, golden-orange pour, with a beige to off-white head on top. The head is dense and lasting. Piney nose, quite citrusy and fruity, with some sweet maltyness playing second violin. In the mouth it is quite bitter and hopp, with pine and citrus as well, and a sweet, maltyness. Full body. Bitter finish with a nice piney and citrusy flavor. Judging from the label, it seems like a shitty label-beer from Haus der 131 Biere, but thank God (or other forces) the contents is far more appealing. (071005)

Bottle bought as a single for a buck and served in my GI IPA tulip: Pours a coppery golden hue with a small but lasting frothy head and good lace. The aroma has notes of biscuity malts, piney grassy and citric hops. The taste is nicely balanced but sweet pale and caramel malts and a restrained hop bitterness. Minor grapefruity and flesh fruit character along with a splash of pepper upon the finish. The mouth feel is sprite and lively with a moderate dry metallic finish. Overall it is a solid brew with no major flaws but it does not really shine either.

Bottle.

Gotta admit I’m kind of surprised at the low ratings this one is getting. Pours hazy cider color with a nice head. Tropical fruit aroma: pineapple, lime, maybe peach. Relatively mild IPA bitterness, very drinkable, nothing sweet or resiny, slightly grassy. Mouthfeel is a bit overcarbonated leaving it more prickly than would be ideal, but it’s nevertheless very nice.

Pretty fantastic, very original IPA. Rich, roasty malt backbone. Not a classical IPA as the hops are not really showcased and really not present in the traditional floral, piney, citrusy hoppy way. However I am rating this on how good of a drink I thought it was and not on whether it matched its designated style paradigm. Its really more a hoppy amber ale but with much more robust hop profile, although very muted. Caramelly sweet malt base. A little grassy hop twinge - just very slight. Nice drink, very enjoyable.

Pours a soft peachy amber with a medium lightly yellowish creamy head. The aroma is sweet hoppy, apricot, fruit, piney, citrusy, wonderfully hoppy. The flavor is a bit subdued, apricot, mellow fruit. Not quite as good as the flavor. Not really bitter or waxy. The hops contribute more of a flavor profile, which I prefer to the harsh alpha acids. Overall a very drinkable IPA.

Hoppy nose, citrus, grapefruits. Pours blonde with a thin white head. Hop flavor is very piney, resiny, good malt flavors come through though too, honey malts.