Judge's Review: 86 Rating - ETA IPA by Wild Leap Brew Co.

ETA by Wild Leap Brew Co. is an American IPA and is being evaluated as a Category 21A in the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines.

This beer pours a deep gold with opaque, hazy clarity.  A head of fine, extremely compact white bubbles quickly fades and leaves a sparse remaining ring of bubbles around the glass.  A moderately intense aroma of bruised guava with a mixture of light tangerine, pineapple.  and light tropical banana is reminiscent of a tropical fresh-fruit cocktail.  There is a very light minerality in the aroma of this beer.  A light neutral malt sweetness is apparent.  The flavor consists of a moderate malt sweetness with a very light graininess which is quickly overtaken.  Moderate hop flavors of bruised guava, light tangerine, pineapple, and light tropical banana are as noted in the aroma.  The bitterness in this beer is perceived as low, no doubt tempered by the malt sweetness.  There is a slight spicy note and dry hop flavor which compliments and adds complexity to the beer.  The aftertaste consists of the noted subdued hop flavor without much lingering bitterness.  This beer has a medium body with a medium-low carbonation of fine bubbles.  There is a low alcoholic warmth.  The mouthfeel of this beer is slightly soft and creamy with no astringency.  Overall, this beer has a beautifully executed tropical hop flavor. Though this beer falls at the minimum accepted IBU’s for the American IPA style, the beer seems a bit unbalanced due to the intensity of the malt sweetness versus the hop bitterness in the flavor and finish.  However, this beer is lovely if you prefer an American IPA on the sweeter side.