Sweetwater IPA

Brewed by Sweetwater Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Atlanta, Georgia USA

12 oz bottle (thanks to asteele8!!!) into a smaller Tulip style glass. This pours a BEAUTIFUL hazy orange with hints of red throughout. Blissfull bubbles rise quickly to the top forming a fluffy white head. The aroma is just what I would expect out of a well done IPA: sweet malt backed with grapefruits and good ’ol Northwestern pine notes. The flavor kicks off with a very sweet malt mixed with sweeter grapefruit, which then proceeds into a bitter grapefruit and pine hop note. All the while there is bitter and sweet hops melding with everything. Oranges are present from time to time. Joyous feel on the palate. Smooth with refreshing hints. Dies off a bit quicker than I would have thought, while ending with a light hop trace that resonates on the palate for a minute. Overall, a very well done IPA. Would defintiely drink this again.

Bottle thanks to unclemattie and TheBeerCellar2! Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a nice white head on top. Aroma is grapefruit, floral hops, and pine. Flavor is pretty hoppy, full of grapefruit and pine. Malts come in to balance out the beer leaving with a nice medium body leaving it pretty smooth. Another good beer from the south!

Bottle from unclemattie; nose smells like alfalfa and hops;, mixed with a tiny apricot fruitiness, unique hoppiness in the nose from other IPAs I’ve had. Color was amber with a small white head; flavor was sweet (fruity) hoppiness (akin to Moylan’s Hopsickle) in a sticky mouthfeel body, and a mild hop bitterness for the finish. Excellent!

Bottle thanks to goldtwins. Decently malty up front with a woody (cedar) foundation. Then, fruity floral hops in back. Grapefruit. Good balance of sweetness and dryness. Enough finishing bitterness to balance it and hold it together. Carbonation is a little prickly. Some lemon and pine. Sticky and resiny. A very good example of the style, but doesn’t do anything to distinguish itself. I wouldn’t mind having regular access to this beer.

Thanks Jeff! There is a nice grassy and very zesty hop aroma coming from this beer. The taste follows suite with a very subtle malt backbone to put a little balance into the beer. Overall a very nice tasting and refreshing ipa that I enjoyed.

Bottle thanks to Ross. We can get the 420 and Blue here in town, but not the IPA, thanks to our bass ackwards state liquor laws. Pours hazy orange brown with no head and large carbonation bubbles. Aroma is very floral, with some british like malts in the background. Light texture in the mouth. Lots of fruity and sweet hops in the flavor. The sweet fruitiness carries to the finish, and then joined by hairspray and mild grainy flavors. Something did not jive with me on the finish. Not a bad beer by any means, and would be a decent session. I may try another botte to get a second opinion. This was the last beer of the night.

Sampled at Brewgrass Fest. Cloudy amber color with a short lasting white head. Nose and flavor were both practically nothing but grassy grassy hops (yes I meant to say it twice). Unbalanced.

Bottle from Jimbowood. When I cracked this I was really surprised by the hoppy aroma. Smells better than most IPA’s I have had lately. Thin head, moderate lacing. First sip is super hoppy with a decent malt backing. This beer definitely resembles the West Coast style more than other beers from the south. Hoppy as all hell, but not horribly bitter. Overall, a pretty good beverage. Probably my favorite from Georgia.