Great Divide Brewing Company Lasso

**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.”

**Aroma:** “Citrusy, lemony, with a bit of tangerine and tropical fruit punch. Little to no malt aroma. Mild hops nose with light coconut and pineapple notes.” **Flavor:** “More tangerine in the flavor than in the aroma, but less of the lemony citrus. Juicy hops flavor with enough malt sweetness to support it. Bitterness balances the malt without overpowering. More of that coconut and pineapple, buoyed by the caramel malt and light toffee. Bitterness lasts into the aftertaste, but some malt stays with it.” **Overall:** “One of the better session IPAs I’ve had, like a Deschutes Fresh Squeezed ‘Lite.’ Tropical-fruit character combined with caramel malt depth makes it imminently drinkable. I could easily knock back several of these and make it a true session—something I can’t always say about this style. The overall impression is that this seems sweet for a session IPA, but the flavors work well enough.”

**Aroma:** “Citrus and pine is subdued. Candied lemon peel, evergreen, herbal. Very mild nose. Fresh grapefruit yumminess from the hops. Some clean light malt in background.” **Flavor:** “Nice citrus flavor with some pine, mild bitterness, and strong carbonation. Lemongrass, wet earth, pineapple, and honey over a light but silky malt body. Clean and crisp—hops dominate the flavor profile.” **Overall:** “Nicely balanced flavor and aroma. This beer gets much better as it warms. The honey-like malt character supports an interesting array of hops notes that are unique and deliver something apart from your typical session IPA. This is a fairly light, refreshing beer. Some astringency in the aftertaste, but still refreshing and balanced. Where most of the others are trying to emphasize the ‘IPA,’ this one is going for ‘session’ and succeeding.”