Pelican India Pelican Ale

Brewed by Pelican Pub & Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Pacific City, Oregon USA

From a 22oz Bottle. Purchased at Whole Foods in Portland, OR. Pours a filtered, crystal clear color of coppery gold with shades of peach skin and a thick, rocky head of white foam. Streams of bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass, generating sensational bursts of cascade hop aroma. Clean, citrusy nose with a twist of herbal spice; it’s like sticking your nose directly into a freshly opened package of cascade hops - no other description could come close to doing this justice. Light bodied, crisply carbonated mouthfeel that’s dialed in to the perfect level to lighten up the palate even more than it already is. Loads of herbal, mildly spicy hops pucker on the tongue on contact, as if licking the inner rind of a white grapefruit. This gives way to an interesting talcom-like biscuit maltiness, lightly toasted. All the while, the grapefruit lingers, and regains full control of the palate as the subtle maltiness fades. Alcohol is well hidden in the dry, refreshing finish. Frighteningly sessionable for a 7.5% beer. The hop utilization is exceptional, bringing out intense bitterness, flavor, and aroma without any one trait dominating. If I had one complaint about this beer, it would be that the malt character gets dominated a bit too much by the incredible hops. A little bit more soft breadiness or light caramel notes might help soften up the dry, powdery malt character that comes through mid-palate. However, there’s no denying that this, as is, is a damn fine IPA.

22oz - thanks Yonkers65 - Aroma is strong grapefruit and orange hops with a smooth caramel malt back. Pours dark cloudy orange-brown with a medium head and great lacing, Flavor is back and forth between hops and caramel. Fresh citrus versus earthy hops. Palate is tart and snappy. A very nice IPA

Growler sample from a traveling friend. Clear orange color with a thin white head. Balanced aroma of malt and citrusy and grassy hops. Malty and citrusy hop flavor with a lingering bitter finish. Definitely tasting the cascades and they’re delicious.

Wow, this is good IPA! Bronze colored and translucent. Pours with a huge frothy head. Citrus & Piney aroma. Flavor is a near perfect balance between the crystal malt and the Western hops. Mouthfeel is slight buttery. Finish is citrusy.

Bright copper amber with a thick white head. Big citrus, hops and pine aroma and flavor with just a bit of a soapy taste on the finish.

Great clear copper color, beautiful white head with large bubbles, leaving crisp white lacing. Mouth is dry and crisp and refreshing. Taste is bitter with American hops, malt, citrus, and long bitter finish. More like a Stone's Ruination than a Victroy Hoppy Devil, but not quite the grapefruit feel to the citrus hoppiness.

bottle. copper. rising bubbles to thick off white head. nice fresh, citrus hop and rich malt aroma. lively palate. very nice balance. dry hop, citrus and rich. big bitter finish. very solid.

22oz. bomber. Clear light amber color with a medium sized white head. Grapefruit hop aroma with some sweet caramel malt in the background. Quite bitter hoppy flavor. Lots of grapefruit, some tangerine and leaves your tongue searching for the malt backbone. It is there, way, way in the back, like it is afraid the hops are going to kick it’s ass. A bit too one dimensional for me, but I did rather enjoy it.