Green Bench Brewing Co. India Pale Ale

Brilliant yellow-gold. Lovely nose rounds herbal-floral-zest hops with light, pure, sweet malt into a familiar gestalt. On the palate: Clean, lightly bready malt meets spicy-herbal hop flavor and a balancing bitterness. Nice and round, with enough body to hold that hop flavor. Finishes clean, softly bittersweet, with lingering spicy bitterness that compels further gulps. Dials up character a half-notch, never disrupting that harmonious whole. Give it to me in a dimpled mug and leave me alone a while.

__Aroma:__ “Light orange and lemon with a touch of vanilla sweetness, bordering on orange creamsicle. Some earthy dank and a little floral spice. Some nice citrus and tropical fruit notes.” __Flavor:__ “Nice blend of hops sweetness. Some tropical fruit with some melon and mango. Some orange and grapefruit, a little lemon, and slight pine. Bitterness is in line and balances well with the malt and finishes not too bitter, not too sweet. A bit of alcohol is evident with some warmth.” __Overall:__ “Fairly big beer with a lot going on. Complex aroma with tropical, citrus, and grassy elements. Sweetness and bitterness are at nice levels. Very drinkable despite its strength.”

__Aroma:__ “Medium-high intensity citrus and floral aroma with orange and lemon playing the major role. Low-to-moderate malt sweetness adds complexity and helps blend everything together. Alcohol is evident, but not hot.” __Flavor:__ “Well balanced West Coast IPA with a simple grain bill that brings a touch of toasted sweetness to balance the intense citrus hops character. Finishes fairly bitter with a slightly sweet kiss.” __Overall:__ “Well executed middle of the road West Coast IPA. Fairly big for the style on all fronts, but not in the ‘whack you over the head’ way. It finds the target without the overbearing bitterness that makes many IPAs less sessionable.”