Highland Brewing Co Wishing Star Cold IPA

Peach and orange dance on your nose with a light creamy biscuit undertone. Lighter citrus (lemon, especial-ly) comes through on the retronasal, and the underlying lightly toasted bready quality carries the beer to a moderately bitter clean finish. The fine bubbles from the carbonation add to the creaminess but are cut nicely by the bitterness.

“Dank, woody pine notes in the aroma give you a preview of what is to come. Gloriously bitter resiny pine hits the tongue directly and unapologetically, with a bit of herbal skunkiness and some light crystal malt to balance, but not distract you from the star of the show: hops. Bright bitterness passes off the tongue quickly. Exactly what cold IPA should be.”

“A beautiful, clear, deep gold color. Moderate orange and tangerine notes in aroma and flavor, with a caramel-malt sweetness that mildly distracts from the hops—they would stand out in a paler example. Somewhat rough and aggressive, with sharp bitterness dominant and a low but solid hop flavor. Carbonic bite adds some palate cleansing to offset the slightly sweet finish.”