Sly Fox First Gold IPA

Formerly brewed at Sly Fox Brewhouse
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Royersford and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania USA

Deep copper color, very intense aroma with notes of hops & pine, medium in body, very crisp, astringent flavors with lots of hops, very bitter & dry, notes of pine, bread & caramel, lightly toasted finish with a slight note of alcohol, very dry & bitter, an excellent IPA

Draught at Phoenixville: Aroma was somewhat faint. Hoppy with notes of resin. Poured amber in color with a medium off-white head. Clear. Not sparkling. Flavor was heavily bitter. Tastes of grapefruit, strawberry, and caramel malts. A little earthy. Medium body. Dry texture. Average carbonation. Dry finish. Overall, nice and bitter, but lacking a little flavor.

Draft @ Royersford & Growler from same. Amber color with a medium white head. Pleasant floral-earthen hop aroma with some caramel malts. Flavor has a nice earthy-hop taste mixed with some caramel malts, herbs, and just a bit of light fruit sweetness. Solid IPA with a tasty English hop varietal. Well done.

Draft. Deep copper pour with aroma of heavy hops, caramel malt, citrus, some peppery and fruit notes. I’d agree that there is a solid caramel malt and hoppy/citric flavor here, but it seems to be a tiny bit more run-of-the-mill flavor-wise than the other styles.

On tap at Royersford. Pours a lightly hazy golden amber with a medium size creamy/lacing head. Aroma was floral, caramel, mixed citrus and some earthiness. Flavor was very earthy with some pine, grapefruit and on the yeasty side. Getting some caramel malt in there to balance.

Tap @ Sly Fox. The beer was clear orange with an off-white head. The aroma was hoppy some citrus notes but mainly floral. There was also toasted malt with a mild fruitiness. The flavor was dominated with floral hops. The bitterness was big full and kept growing through the very long dry finish.

Tap at Ginger Man. Bright amber/orange colour with a thick fluffy tan head. Very fruity hop aroma with black currant, black berry and a soft woody resinousness. Jammy with light spiciness as well. Flavour is very hoppy with just enough malt sweetness to restrain it. Toasted grain and sweet caramel on the back set against strong resinous bitterness. Nice balance and another solid single hop brew. This hop is particularly nice.

Draft at the Blind Tiger. Some floral and pine hops in the aroma. The flavor has some slightly earthy malt up front followed by a citrusy / piney hop bitterness. Tastes a little like a dry-hopped beer though with the hops being somewhat metallic, but it’s not too bad in that regard.