Beer of the Weekend #451: Rampant IPA
My Dig recommendation fell through. It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the fact supplies are running out and it may not be around next month. So I had to go back to the drawing board and grab another beer: Rampant IPA, brewed by the New Belgium Brewery of Fort Collins, Colorado.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The best by date printed on the label is “11AUG13.”
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is light, clear copper. Two fingers of dense, eggshell-colored head dissipated slowly, leaving a rocky cap, webwork of foam along the glass, and eventually a skim and bubbly ring around the edge.
Smell: Nice balance between floral hops, citrus, and tropical fruit. Pine is prominent at first, but it is tempered by grapefruit, orange, apple, tangerine, and mango as the beer warms. It eventually offers an overall sticky-sweet aroma that is tinged with citrus, mango, and maybe peach. (The label mentions peach, so why not?) Though it may just be the pine, I think it has a touch of catty pungency.
Taste: Bold bitterness that slowly works on the taste buds and does not really reach its peak until the aftertaste. With each sip, I was expecting a full-frontal assault, but the bitterness slowly builds. The booze is not totally masked but it does keep a low profile. The flavors are pretty tame, which is a disappointment. I was expecting it to offer loads of the citrus and tropical fruit from the smell. However, the taste is mostly floral and piney with sharp lemon zest. Hints of grapefruit and mango peek through, though — but the beer needed to warm considerably. After that point, the bitterness is tempered by pale malts and a light, candy caramel flavor.
Drinkability: It smells great, but the flavor is all about the bitterness — which is solid. Personally, I would rather have a little more flavor.
Fun facts about Rampant IPA:
-Style: Imperial IPA.
-Price: $8.99/sixer at the Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits on First Avenue in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 50-55ºF.
-Alcohol content: 8.5 percent ABV.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The best by date printed on the label is “11AUG13.”
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is light, clear copper. Two fingers of dense, eggshell-colored head dissipated slowly, leaving a rocky cap, webwork of foam along the glass, and eventually a skim and bubbly ring around the edge.
Smell: Nice balance between floral hops, citrus, and tropical fruit. Pine is prominent at first, but it is tempered by grapefruit, orange, apple, tangerine, and mango as the beer warms. It eventually offers an overall sticky-sweet aroma that is tinged with citrus, mango, and maybe peach. (The label mentions peach, so why not?) Though it may just be the pine, I think it has a touch of catty pungency.
Taste: Bold bitterness that slowly works on the taste buds and does not really reach its peak until the aftertaste. With each sip, I was expecting a full-frontal assault, but the bitterness slowly builds. The booze is not totally masked but it does keep a low profile. The flavors are pretty tame, which is a disappointment. I was expecting it to offer loads of the citrus and tropical fruit from the smell. However, the taste is mostly floral and piney with sharp lemon zest. Hints of grapefruit and mango peek through, though — but the beer needed to warm considerably. After that point, the bitterness is tempered by pale malts and a light, candy caramel flavor.
Drinkability: It smells great, but the flavor is all about the bitterness — which is solid. Personally, I would rather have a little more flavor.
Fun facts about Rampant IPA:
-Style: Imperial IPA.
-Price: $8.99/sixer at the Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits on First Avenue in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 50-55ºF.
-Alcohol content: 8.5 percent ABV.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
