This beer poured clear orange with a very thick white nitro-enhanced head. The aroma was full of fruity (pear) esters and hop notes including some initial grassy ones. The intensity of the aromas was a pleasant surprise since some hop-forward nitro beers have their aroma suppressed by a thick blanket of nitrogen bubbles. The flavor was well-balanced with strong contributions from hops and malt getting through the creamy head unperturbed. Mouthfeel is where nitro-dispensed beers typically excel and this was no exception, with smooth creaminess extending through to the finish with non-astringent hops coating the palate. In sum, this was a well-brewed IPA enhanced, rather than lessened by, its gassy delivery.
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Samuel Adams Nitro IPA
Description
Our Nitro IPA is boldly bitter yet surprisingly smooth. Nitro can mute aroma and leave bitterness, particularly in IPAs, so to stand up to the creaminess of nitro we used heavy doses of dry hopping to achieve the resinous pine, spice, and citrus hop character we love. A fortitude of hop character remains with notes of resinous pine and citrus for a flavorful, lingering finish.
Judges Review
Aroma:
23 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20