Alpine Beer Company Hoppy Birthday

**Aroma:** “Surprisingly malty nose with light caramel and toastiness. Mild paper oxidation. Faint hops aroma is earthy, like damp soil, but hard to find. Cloves, orange peel, toast, yeast, and hints of black pepper..” **Flavor:** “More hops in the flavor, offering an herbal blend of mint and marjoram, but the malt is far more forward— grainy with some toasty notes. Papery oxidation here, too, and mild bitterness. Hops flavor seems muddled and indistinct. Instead, I get a more saison-like quality with yeast esters and phenols. Cloves and even a bit of cracked black pepper, then a dry, bitter nish.” **Overall:** “Is this a session saison? The yeasty aromatics and avors seem more at home in a Biere de Table than in an American session IPA. I actually quite like this beer, but it works better as a generic Belgian-style table beer. Tartness when I swallow lingers on the back of the tongue. Very dry finish.”

Aroma: “Tangerines, a little grass, hints of evergreen needles, citrus, light malt character. Like a Christmas wreath or walking through a thick evergreen forest. A touch of spiciness. Mild fruity esters.” Flavor: “Whoa, that’s some grass! Reminds me of fresh-cut grass, but more clippings than lawn. Tons of pine in there accentuate the grassy notes. A pleasant malt sweetness offers support, and an assertive bitterness completes the off-dry finish. This tastes like a hops tea with a moderately strong bitter finish. Very little malt to soften the blow.” Overall: “If you like piney, grassy hops flavor and aroma, this is the session IPA for you. The assertive evergreen character is balanced by a surprising malt backbone and sufficient bitterness make it a solid session IPA—what I would expect from a competent brewer. A little more malt would soften some of the rough edges.”

**Aroma:** “Spicy hops character—some wet earth notes. Pine needles and grape must. A touch of funk and a bit of honey. Herbal/grassy hops aroma with some earthy elements. There’s a touch of candy sweetness and fruity esters (light bubblegum).” **Flavor:** “Hops flavor is resinous and tongue tingling. Medium malt backbone suf ciently supports hops. Notes of pine, earth, damp leaves, some must, and grass. The touch of light caramel sweetness is nice. A bit of pucker in the dry, bitter finish. Subsequent sips yield more hops tastes—grassy, woody—but the bitterness grows with each sip. Moderate fruity esters and a touch of malt sweetness, but mostly buried under the hops.” **Overall:** “Lots of flavor without being overwhelming. If I didn’t know it was a session IPA, it could pass as a full-strength IPA. Concentrates on the earthy and grassy more than the fruity and citrusy. A bit of funk both in the flavor and aroma adds complexity and interest.”