IPA Américaine, 6%
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American IPA, 6%: Clear dark amber color with few activity. Thick foamy and creamy beige 3 finger head, lasting around 15 minutes, thick legs with a great swirl response. Flavors of mangos, toffee, grapefruits, lemon, orange peels, rye and herbal hops. Silky smooth full body with a light crisp. Strong finish, tropical and citrusy, residual pine on the tongue, slightly leathery, dry and deeply leafy, almost minty and peppery. Quite a powerful IPA that feels like a double, so there’s some imbalance with the flavors, a double would get more points, although I still sense a high degree of complexity here. Robust for those who like this will enjoy it much I’m sure, more like a Rye IPA. More warming than fresh, I wouldn’t drink this in a hot summer day (like right now). Too bold, too coarse and tongue numbing. Compared to the regular red racer I find it less interesting and delicious, yet it’s still a high quality brew, but will definitely not be a regular for me.