Seven Barrel Champion Reserve IPA

Brewed by Seven Barrel Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
West Lebanon, New Hampshire USA

My Bottom Line:
Pot and earthy hop resins delineate this timid and almost flaccid India Pale Ale.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-There is no head of foam to cover the cloudy yellow amber.
-The body once again was very lean, on the verge of being watery.
-Carbonation was very low.
-The hop bitterness was surprisingly lengthy, but there wasn’t much malt support.

On tap at the brewpub.

[Tap] Pours a clear golden orange with a thin white head. Aroma was mild citrus and hops. Taste was hoppy with some citrus notes. Finish was typical IPA bitterness that didn’t last too long. Overall, a solid offering but nothing outstanding. [Tap] Cask Version -- Pours a cloudy orange with a thich soapy head. Aroma was hoppy pine and citrus. Taste was much mellower than the regular. The bitterness of the hops was more subtle and let the cirtus and earthyness come forward. Finish was still hoppy but very smooth.

The pour revealed a cloudy golden color with a thin white head. Mild aroma and flavor of floral hops, there’s some bitterness in the end. The body is medium with oily texture and soft carbonation. I expected more from this IPA.

Fresh growler from the brewpub and cask at the brewpub. Pours a hazy gold/amber with a white head.Smells of oranges, some pine, caramel. Taste yields a nice bitterness balances with some oranges, resin and dry malt. Very solid offering!

Cask at the brewpub. Slightly hazy golden amber beer with a thin white head. Aroma is very hoppy and fresh with a soft piny aroma over a light grapefruity citrus character. Lightly resiny as well. Good balance, soft palate. Light pale malt, grapefruit and a bit of citrusy character. A tasty simple IPA. The cask works well for this one. Soft lingering bitterness.

@VT Beerfest–on tap-pours off white bubbles and hazy gold color. Aroma is bitter citrus hops. Taste is bitter citrus hops-northwest, resin. Dry.

12 ounce sample at the brewpub. Mild metallic, pine-like aroma with a bit of weird graininess as well. Sort of smells like dirty socks. The aroma is definitely off. Moderately hazy copper color with an off-white head that is small. There is good lacing, though. Bitter, grapefruity PNW hops to start, turning a bit more citrus and orange-like. Light toasted malts in the middle with more dry, bitter, grapefruity hops to finish. Overly dry and lacks malt balance.

[on cask at brewpub] Misty bronze with a frothy, beer pump head that clung to the glass. Fruity aroma full of fresh hops in good pine/grapefruit balance--also some toffee. Grapefruit bitterness plus fruit flavours from fermentation lead gently into a delicate toffee malt all backed up by a british-like bitterness that lasts for a bit. Very good session beer with low carbonation, light to medium body, and an almost crisp finish.