A Taste of... Warrior IPA
A Taste of... Warrior IPA
Left Hand Brewing Co.
Longmont Colorado (USA)
Preface: This bottle of Warrior IPA was sent to me by the good folks at the Left Hand Brewing Company. I will admit that this bottle of beer is probably about a month old. However well it has been well taken care of, it must be noted that it is at least one month old. It was refrigerated one hour before it was open.
I must admit also, I am rather glad to get back to a pint glass. However, sampling this big boy (650 ml) at 11 o'clock in the morning, on a Tuesday, is intimidating. Of course, nobody said I had to drink the whole thing.
Appearance: This ale is a very bright red amber color crystal clear and not to effervescent. It is topped by a very rocky light tan head. The immediate lacing his impressive.
Aroma: The initial sensation is of fresh mown grass with a very delicate undercurrent of mint. In the end, however, there is very little to the nose.
Mouth feel: This beer is not a heavyweight, however, it has a quite attractive body does not fade out as the taste progresses.
Flavor: A rich malt flavor is the first thing you experience in tasting this beer. However, it is quickly followed by a rush of hops sensation that neither intensifies nor drops off until the finish. This is not to say it is only one note. It is a remarkable combination of bitter and tang. The label on the bottle tells me that Warrior IPA is, "Brewed only once a year of fresh hops hand-picked in Longmont California and Warrior hops straight off the vine from Yakima Washington."
It is more than refreshing to taste and IPA that apparently has no cascade hop in. If there is any cascade I would be surprised. But then again I've been surprised before.
Finish: The finish to this beer is a wonderful wrestling match between the obviously fresh hops and the substantial malt presence. The finish is long lasting and certainly not unpleasant. The final echoes of the hops are very palate cleansing.
Comments: this is the fifth or sixth fresh hopped beer that I've had the chance to taste. When these beers came out this year, the national press paid quite a bit of attention to them. I seem to remember that I also had some comments to make along the lines that this would promote what could be known as "vintage beer". If this is the truth, this is a seasonal beer that I will particularly look forward to over the next few years.
Left Hand Brewing Company: http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/
What others Say:
BeerAdvocate:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/418/9182
RateBeer: (2006 version)
http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/left-hand-warrior-ipa/18691/
