Last weekend my friend Steve convinced me to go with him up to New Glarus Brewing Company, so he could buy some of their Spotted Cow. A friend of his wants him to brew a clone of that beer for his wedding, and he’d never had it before. It was an awesome trip, and I bought a bunch of beer to bring back with me, including this one. I really enjoy their fruit beers, so I was curious to see what one of their IPAs would be like.

Location: Poured into a pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL

Numbers: 9% ABV, 20.9° Plato OG, ~270 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s perfectly amber in color, and slightly hazy. It has a foamy, off-white head on it, with a little bit of a creamy texture and with decent retention. The aroma is a bit of an earthy and dank hoppiness.

Taste & Feel: The body is medium to full and the mouthfeel is smooth, with a little bit of hop oiliness. There’s an earthy hop flavor up front with a little bit of sweetness. In the middle, an earthy hop bitterness kicks in, carrying into the finish. The hop flavor opens up a bit in the finish, with a grassy-piney flavor that lasts for a minute or so in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: The hoppiness of this beer is earthy and piney, I think it would pair best with something like a cheese pizza or a pasta dish with white sauce.

Overall Impression: Although the hop aroma seemed a bit dank, I enjoyed the flavors, which were earthy, grassy and piney. I thought the balance of hop bitterness and flavor was good for an IIPA, and it definitely wasn’t a hop bomb. It has a decent body, but slightly lighter than I was expecting from such a big beer. Overall, I thought it was a good beer I’d go for again.

My Rating: