Six Rivers IPA

Brewed by Six Rivers Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
McKinleyville, California USA

Bottled. Clear dark amber. Light grapefruity hop aroma. Sweet with soft but syrupy mouthfeel. Only moderately hoppy and the aromas are restrained. Medium bitterness.

Tasted at the 2005 Bistro IPA festival. Medium gold color. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is fruity and sweet. A medium bodied IPA. Malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are citrusy and floral. Good balance. Smooth taste. Nice drinkable IPA. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Bottle poured a cloudy dark amber with an amber head. Aromas of pine, grapefruit rind and carmel. Palate was medium bodied and a bit dry. Flavors of toasted malt, mild grapefruit, and a bit of "earthiness" with a mildly bitter, dry finish.

This is a review for both the standard IPA and the Cask from the Wood version.

(Draft: Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville, CA) Though the menu says this is a hophead’s delight, this IPA really doesn’t seem all that hoppy. But it is quite flavorful and very malty, much more balanced that most west coast IPAs. It’s actually quite tasty. The toasty maltiness isn’t shy, easily balancing out the moderately bitter hops from start to finish. The nose is also fairly toasty, with hops providing balance rather than leading the way as in most "hophead’s delights." Light amber in color, fully clear, small micro-bubbles rise very slowly through the beer. The small, off-white head fades to a rim, but still manages to leave a bit of patchy lacing on the glass. The menu calls it their proud flagship ale, and they should be proud. It’s a very nice IPA, especially for those who aren’t into big hop bombs. The rating numbers are for this version.

(Cask: Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville, CA) Okay, so side-by-side with their basic draft IPA, the "Cask from the Wood" version is less hoppy, less toasty and less flavorful. It just lacks the pizzazz of the standard IPA, and so it’s somewhat of a disappointment. I can understand it being gentler on the palate, but the loss of flavor is surprising, and the diminished toastiness is a sin. In its place, I’m expecting some woodiness since it’s advertised as being "from the wood", but none can be detected. So what we end up with is a generic pale ale, lightly toasty, mildly bitter and hoppy, and with the very gentle carbonation, it almost seems flat next to the standard version. The amber color is the same, and naturally the off-white head is mostly just a few large bubbles along the edge of the glass. Nope, just stick to the standard IPA. (ratings: 6, 2, 6, 3, 13, total: 3.0)

(bottled). Big malty nose with woody hop undertones. Cloudy, deep copper/orange color with thin head and low carbonation. Big, rich malt flavor with subtle caramel underneath in a big-bodied package is followed by firm bitterness and peppery alcohol that is well matched to balance without overwhelming the malt. Smooth finish with lingering hop bite and a wonderful subtle orange twist. Thanks for the drop-off, Dan!

On tap in Eureka, CA. Rusty orange color with minimal head. Woody odor, wtih a hint of pineapples. Classic IPA taste and feel, with a nice hop hit. Went down well. Had to have another. And another. In spite of all the technical aspects of rating beer, the real test is whether or not you come back for more. I like this IPA.

on tap in mckinleyville. so-so ipa. usual pine and grapefruit aroma, quite sweet, light hit of lychees then a slightly stale finish with weird curacao

Tap@Six Rivers. Tinny, rusty, sharp flavoured pale ale. Hoppy as i was expecting (lychee,pine etc...). I just found it a bit ugly.