Moosejaw Kilbourn Hop Ale

Brewed by Moosejaw Pizza & Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin USA

On tap at Moose Jaw in WD - Dark amber pour with medium white head. Great lacing on glass as I drank. Aroma - floral hops and caramel malt. Really decent aroma from this brew. Flavor - Alot of caramel malt with very nice balance of hops. I really don’t consider this beer an IPA but taste is excellent. Palate - creamy mouthfeel and medium bodied. Finish is clean with slight hop bite and no aftertaste. Overall - WOW!!! I really liked this beer, easy to drink with great fresh taste. First beer from Moosejaw but plan on trying more.

On-tap @ the Brewpub. Amber color. The fresh hop aroma you get right off the bat is great, and I was told all the hops used are locally grown...nice. A solid use of caramel malts, but the hops take over from there and lead to a great, smooth brew that is certainly hop-driven. I asked the bartender if there were any plans to bottle their beers in the near future, and he actually said they are planning to bottle the Kilbourn Hop Ale soon. Assuming that’s done, it’ll start very local for sure, but it’d be nice to see this one out in stores for more people to try. Overall impression..this is a very good, hoppy pale ale. You can’t stop at this place and not try this one.

Very nice floral aroma. Color is medium amber with a grand frothy-white head and excellent lacing. Flavor isn’t as biting hoppy as I was expecting, but the hops instead had a mild bitter/moderately sweet flavor, almost like clover flowers. I talked with the bartender, and the hops that they use in this beer are picked from a local woman’s backyard. Interesting stuff, and a very nice beer.

Ya know what... I really liked this one. Copper with white head and good lacing. Nose is hoppy and the taste is just about the same with some good malt character to it. Imagine a good IIPA but tone everything down about 50 fold and that is what this is. There is a good balance and is very drinkable.

Tap: at this point it’s hard to tell if the beer is decent or the first five or six were that bad. Amber with nice beige head. Aroma has decent pine hop aroma. Big hop kick in flavor right off the bat, maybe a little unbalanced, but drinkable. Servers told me this was a "hopped up amber"? hmmm...

The nose definitely has a hop presence but is well balanced. Clear, dark amber body. No visible carbonation. Creamy lace and head. Nice mouthfeel. Hops are clearly there, as is the malt. Well balanced as the nose predicted. Strongish with a bite. Some flaws but not glaring.

Date: 06/22/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

clear dark amber, fine beige head, solid lace, sweet dark caramel malt aroma with loys of citrus hops, creamy body, lots of earthy hop flavor balanced with rich dark caramel malt, solid hop flavor from the start through a tasty bitter finish, touch of dyactyl adds sweetness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

On tap at the brewpub in Wisconsin Dells, pours a clear copper brown brew with an average size off white head. Good lacing. Aroma of piney hops, caramel, some citrus peel, toffee, and multi-grain malt. Taste is medium body, lightly carbonated, smooth and a good hop bitter aftertaste. More like an extra pale ale than an IPA. Finish is smooth and a little dry.