Neshaminy Creek Shape of Hops to Come

**Aroma:** “Medium intensity orange and lemon with a slight sweetness from the malt. Nice fruity hops sweetness. Orange, grapefruit, pineapple, tropical fruit, with a quick hit of Christmas tree.” **Flavor:** “Medium malt sweetness accentuated by citrus hops notes. Malt tastes like a blend of toasted and caramel varieties. Intensely bitter on the finish—the bitterness from the hops hits in the front and carries through this beer well into the linger. Fresh and vibrant mango and pineapple notes dance with pine tree and green herbs. Light malt sweetness in the finish, too.” **Overall:** “It’s a touch sweet up front and a touch bitter on the finish making for a pretty bold and bitter beer that should probably be enjoyed at a warmer serving temp to bring out the fruity hop notes. It was quite bitter in the start, but the more I drank it more the rest of the beer came out for me. In the end, I enjoyed it.”

Aroma: “Earthy hops character with white-wine notes plus grapefruit and passion fruit. Very clean—no malt or yeast aroma. Bright citrus notes, with fresh zested grapefruit, orange creamsicle, and sweet tangerine.” Flavor: “Initial impression delivers on the aroma, with earthy, winey characteristics. Very faint light malt, and any esters are covered by the hops. Firm bitterness starts nice but then becomes aggressively licorice-like on the back of the tongue in the finish. Tastes like I bit into a freshly picked grapefruit—rind, pulp, juice, and all.” Overall: “The aroma is pleasant and balanced toward the fruity/juicy hops, but the puckering licorice-like bitterness is too forward. Apart from that, this is a nice IPA. The earthy, wine-like hops are interesting, aromatic, and flavorful. But a heavy-handed bitterness dominates the flavor, overwhelming the other flavors.”

Aroma: “Lemon, peach, mango, and pine with a pleasant subtle peppery spiciness. Some caramel, candy-like sweetness adds nice complexity.” Flavor: “There is a rich mix of candy and grainy sweetness with a lush tropical-fruit hops character. Finish is rich and chewy but with enough bitterness to balance it out. A bit of lingering grassy astringency distracts from the other more pleasant aspects of the beer.” Overall: “A good hazy IPA, but a little heavy-handed in the overall balance.”