Samuel Adams / Boston Beer Company Rebel Rider IPA

**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:** “Nice orange notes. Slightly minty with hints of phenols that lean slightly medicinal. Earthy hops, moderate esters, and a light malt.” **Flavor:** “Good blend of malt sweetness with some nice grapefruit, orange, and pine notes. The sweetness underpins both the hops and the malt and helps balance the bitterness. Mint from the nose is subdued a bit on the palate, but it’s still a bit of a train wreck of flavors—raw malt sweetness and caramel, cardboard oxidation, strong fruity esters, and an out-of-place light tartness.” **Overall:** “A good IPA with a strong PNW hops profile—the dance between malt and hops worked well in this beer for me. Doesn’t dry out like most DIPAs, and the bitterness is a touch overdone. A bit muddled in the flavor presenta- tion—if I had bought this, I’d be a bit disappointed.”

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.”