In a blind tasting by BJCP trained experts, this beer rated

86

The Alchemist Broken Spoke

Aroma: “Moderate dank hops with light onion and a touch of light tartness, perhaps cherries. It’s got a good multi-dimensional hops element on the nose with its dank, piney, earthy weed and the orange, lemon, and grapefruit. It’s bright and fresh and has a lot of West Coast in it.”

Flavor: “Lots of hops going on, with a slight tartness up front and a sturdy body behind it. The sharp, hoppy, earthy flavors have a touch of pine, resin, and dankness with moderate-to-high bitterness. Notes of tangerine, pineapple, and mandarin show through and are not smooth and straight fruit, but more like a more aggressive West Coast IPA. The bitterness and hoppy resin linger on the tongue after the taste.”

Overall: “There is a pronounced bitterness that's amplified by the touch of acidity. It’s an aggressive beer with sharp elbows that doesn’t back down—definitely more of what one would expect in a West Coast IPA. It presents those boldly bitter and piney hops on a fastball right over the plate.”

logo