SweetWater Brewery 420 Strain: G13 IPA

Grapefruit, tangerine, onion, green pepper—diesel and garlic as it warms. Light malt flavor; sweetness complements bitterness and flavors of tangerine, pineapple, guava. Light must and subtle mushroom emerge. Finishes on the bitter side.

“Big hop nose with juicy notes of grapefruit, pineapple, citrus, and a light dank, grassy note. Fresh-squeezed OJ with some crushed basil. Creamy, full on the palate—mouthfeel suggests sweetness that isn’t quite there. Big character, balanced by turning up all the dials.”

__Aroma:__ “Distinct tangerine, with orange and citrus, which are lower in the mix. This is accented by herbal, floral, catty, piney, dank hops, with a slight bread crust and biscuit malt character.” __Flavor:__ “The citrus and hops flavors blend into an appealing mélange, with the quality of the citrus rind combining with a balance of malt and hops. Orange comes through more than tangerine and is fairly restrained in the mix—comes across as a standard IPA with good citrus and resinous hops flavors, with a clean bitterness, and light, bready malt. The hops bitterness is moderate, playing a supportive role. The malt is sweet, with a nice biscuit character.” __Overall:__ “The base IPA is typical of a West Coast IPA, and the fruit is not as in-your-face as some examples, but it’s well-balanced across the board. The tangerine comes through most in the aftertaste. It’s not earth-shattering, but it’s well executed, easy to drink, with appealing fruit flavors.”