Style: India Pale Lager

ABV: 6.0 IBU: 60.0

92/100

Aroma:	11
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	18
Mouthfeel:	4

Pyramid Breweries IPL

What the brewers say

Ale Advocates and Lager Lovers, put your differences aside! Gather together and share the best of both worlds with our India Pale Lager. Pyramid IPL combines the citrusy hops flavors of a Northwest IPA with the smooth finish of a Lager. We can all drink to that!

What our panel thought

Aroma: Rich, caramelly, toasty malt backed by assertive, spicy, piney, perfumy hops. Some bubblegum esters and notes of fruit gummies. Citrus, orange, and lemon.

Flavor: Rich malted milk body with chewy melanoidins. A little too sweet. Hops flavor is also aggressive, the strong but smooth bitterness crisp and balancing. Finish is fairly clean with some lasting bitterness. Malt backbone is just strong enough to balance. Nice lemon or orange rind citrus.

Overall: A big, bold beer. The body is a bit too full for this to be very refreshing, but it’s a flavor explosion—in a good way. Nice hops expression. A pint of this with smoky barbecue would be great—it would really stand up to the food. Good showcase for hops with lager cleanliness.

What our editors thought

Review printed in: Enlightened Lagers (Fall 2014) (View All Issues)

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How We Review

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Allagash Brewing Company White

**Aroma:** “Very light wheat with notes of coriander and a little bit of hop spice blended with slight sweetness and subtle hop notes. Mainly coriander and pepper notes.” **Flavor:** “Moderate sweetness with a strong bittering finish. Significantly more hop bitterness than would be expected for the style. Complex for a wit, with slight sweetness and herbal earthy notes. Sweet citrus in the finish. Big body despite carbonation and crispness. Almost a viscous mouthfeel.” **Overall:** “Wheat and spice character are well done, but the hop utilization or timing adds a bitterness that’s atypical for the style. A refreshing and different take on a wit. More spiced than usual but still finishes with sweet citrus. Good, crisp, refreshing beer.”

Samuel Adams / Boston Beer Company Double Agent IPL

**Aroma:** Big citrus and pine American hop aroma. Malt is in the background, caramelly and toasty. Some toffee and ethanol. **Flavor:** Big hop flavor follows the aroma: grapefruit, pine, and cedar. Bitterness is assertive but enjoyable. It coats the tongue well past the aftertaste. Malt sweetness rounds out the flavor, but since it wasn’t invited to this party, it leaves early. **Overall:** An aggressively hoppy beer with the softening of esters. The hops may seem excessive because of the clean fermentation. Lots of hop heads will enjoy this showcase of Pacific Northwestern hop varieties.

Abita Brewing Company Amber

**Aroma:** “Sweet toasty malt, brown sugar notes, and some buttery toffee. Hops are light, woody, and spicy. Balanced nose, but leans slightly toward malt. A hint of metallic twang. Clean lager aroma.” **Flavor:** “Smooth, clean malt with light toast notes. Sweet, bready, and crackery. Soft hop bitterness falls away in the finish to leave a fading malt sweetness. No-frills hop flavor. Crisp finish without much aftertaste.” **Overall:** “Slight notes of diacetyl and a light hand with the bittering hops make this a smooth, enjoyable beer. Would pair well with spicy dishes. A very approachable craft lager. Good, but not overly simple. Cleanly brewed and won’t scare off new craft beer drinkers.”

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