RMP India Pale Ale

Beer judged as BJCP category 21A, American IPA. Served at 45 degrees F.

The beer is presented in a pint shaker after a full and vigorous pour. Light amber in color, and brilliant in clarity, the beer carries  a two-inch fine frothy foam with great stand characteristics that last for the first five minutes of the tasting. The look is very pretty, and the depth of color shows use of some specialty malts – most likely crystal/caramel types that have become somewhat out of fashion in American IPAs due to the idea that they lend malt complexity and sweetness that gets in the way of the hop forward flavor blast. I've  found plenty of fine examples defying that logic.

The beer exhibits a classic West-coast piney/resin nose, redolent with some grapefruit and tangerine thrown in for good measure. It is bright and a tad tart, but underlain by a light caramel and cracker maltiness that gives the aroma some body. I don't detect any obvious ferment-derived esters, but with so much hop and malt, the beer still screams strong, hoppy ale, just like the style warrants. While assertive, I also do not detect ethanol, which indicates the beer is of modest (for style) strength. A very obvious, light caramel-honey note emerges as the beer warms.

The flavor starts out with a hint of honey and caramel that transitions quickly to a very solid, but not overdone bitterness (~55/60 BU if I had to guess) with the mid-palate flavors of pine, grapefruit, apricots and faint honey. The beer is very well-balanced, with the somewhat harsh bitterness of very short duration before the malt, hop, and ferment flavors catch up. Late palate is clean with slight mineral tones; a long lasting hop resin character persists well into the slightly off-dry finish. The mouthfeel is distinctly thick, owing to a relatively low level of conditioning. The snap and body would be lightened (and improved) with more carbonic.

In sum, the beer is quite drinkable and tasty and highly representative of the ubiquitous west-coast IPA style, and quite well-balanced along the hop-malt gradient. It is neither very strong, nor ultra-hoppy, so fitting somewhere near the median point in flavor profile, this beer would likely appeal to a broad range of palates. I'd like to try this beer paired with a nice rustic plate of antipasto with some assertive salumi, olives, pickled peppers, and hard cheeses.  Salud!