Fort George Brewery Vortex IPA

__Aroma:__ “Dark fruity esters up front, with raisin, plum, dark cherry, and currant. Vanilla and oak, with some sherry and raisin aged character, but works nicely in this beer. A unique spice character hues back and forth between bourbon and sarsaparilla.” __Flavor:__ “Intense dark fruity sweetness, with a concentrated raisin and currant character. Chocolate, sherry, and oak add complexity. It’s quite boozy and sweet, with moderate bitterness to balance. The roastiness comes out much more as it warms, and it lingers with every passing sip. Some of the finishing sweetness tastes like vanilla from the oak, or even smoked licorice.” __Overall:__ “Sweet, boozy, and complex. It’s an intense drinking experience that benefits from a healthy blend of both chocolaty malt, molasses, and fruity esters. A bit sweet on the finish, but it has a roasty dryness, too. Given a little time to rest, this will be a fantastic beer.”

Really nice salted-caramel impression without coming across overly sweet. The vanilla adds to the rich car-amel impression mid palate, but there’s a ton of roast to dry up the finish, which works as a balancing factor. Finish is chewy, long lasting, and complex.

**Aroma:** “Grapefruit character dominates with little malt aroma. Some tropical flavors and an almost soap-like floral character. Pleasant citrus notes, some light spice, some subtle malt as it warms.” **Flavor:** “Complex and assertive hop flavor up front with notes of grapefruit, tropical fruit, and pine. Decidedly bitter in flavor and finish, but still drinkable. Malt has a slight bread crust character. Good balance with bitterness.” **Overall:** “The fruit notes dance around the beer to the finish. Very nice example of an American IPA—middle of the road, but very drinkable. The hop profile is complex yet focused, and the balance is decidedly bitter to showcase the hops. Just enough sweetness to round everything out and keep it drinkable.”