Campside Session IPA

Upland Brewing’s Campside Session IPA is being evaluated as a session strength American IPA (2015 BJCP Category 21A) from the BJCP guidelines. The aroma of this beer is inviting with notes of cantaloupe, apricot, and a touch of pine. There is no malt character to speak of, indicating the session strength of the beer. The aroma is clean and showcases hop complexity well. A slight touch of haze is evident within the blonde body and a small, thin, creamy white head sits atop the beer with decent retention. The flavor is a bit of a letdown; the aroma set the expectation high and hop flavor is lacking in the balance. The lack of malt flavor combined with low hop flavor makes for a very thin flavor profile.  Bitterness is thankfully well-balanced within the size of the beer. The body comes across a bit thin, even for the style. More hop flavor and more robust malt presence would make this session IPA drink more like a low gravity India Pale Ale and less like a lawnmower beer with a juicy hop aroma.