Style: IPA

ABV: 6.2 IBU: 40.0

86/100
Aroma: 11
Appearance: 3
Flavor: 18
Mouthfeel: 5

Wander Back Beerworks Perfectly Cromulent IPA

What the brewers say

Perfectly Cromulent IPA is brewed with 100% locally grown and malted Rabbit Hill Farms Pilsner and Wheat malts with a single decoction, hopped with Motueka and Citra hops, fermented on the cooler side for IPAs, and generously dry hopped.

What our panel thought

Moderate soft fruity hops aromas of peach and nectar. Sweaty and dank hop notes in the nose carry through into the flavor with a pleasant but light malt body to support them. Fully ripe fruit flesh notes abound. Tastes of guava on a soft bed of light white bread and mildly spicy wheat with a spritz of lemon. Somewhat basic hop flavor—not very complex or layered—seems to be somewhat muted. The slightly chalky mouthfeel seems to further accentuate the bitterness but also helps keep the finish somewhat crisp until the residual hop bitterness slowly reemerges and pleasantly blankets the palate with resin. Finish is lighty sweet but still dry. 

What our editors thought

Sweaty and sweet hop notes in the aroma, with big mango and guava over some minerally tinged sulfur and locker room funk. The flavor pushes lean more than sweet and hazy, with strong attenuation and a light herbal-tropical bitterness that evenly matches the very light malt in the body. But the end result is a bit of no-man's-land, between the crisply defined drinkability of west coast IPA, and more indulgent fruitiness of today's hazies.


REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Wander Back Beerworks Wander Back Lager

Pleasant light cracker notes blend well with some bright noble hop aromatics in the nose. Fresh light hay notes with a kiss of classic floral notes invite you in to drink. The sip is lively and bright with just a hint of floral hops to ground things. Clean, soft and fresh white dough. It finishes crisp with a light bitterness that lingers just enough to remember it into the next sip.

Wander Back Beerworks Festbier

Floral- and perfume-like hop notes in the nose balanced by some light bread crust malt character. A light mineral character in the initial sip seems to strip away much of the early flavor notes. Malt is a touch of Maillard that rapidly fades to crisp bitterness with faint spicy hops. As that subsides some nice biscuit malt notes and floral hop bitterness emerges and it becomes lightly creamy and smooth into the malty finish.

Station 26 Brewing Company Single Hop Citra IPA

**Aroma:** “: Juicy, dank, resiny hops aroma with a hint of spice and citrus. Light malt sweetness. Very aromatic with peach jelly, black currant, and grapefruit leading the charge. A touch of herbal, minty notes adds complexity without detracting. Clean yeast and malt character.” **Flavor:** “Bright, juicy, dank hops dominate with hints of grapefruit and a subtle mango/pineapple note, but not as much bitterness as I was expecting from the aroma. Light, clean malt sweetness. Nice dry finish with a pleasant bitterness that doesn't seem to linger. A very full chewy IPA, with a wheat-like turbidity. Alcohol presence lends a warming finish. Bitter enough to pull it all together, without overpowering.” **Overall:** “Very different aroma and flavor profiles, but nice complexity with fruit, pine, and resin. Very contemporary example of the style, focusing more on the dank, resiny, tropical fruit hops than on straight citrus and pine. Huge hops complexity with the malt and yeast only supporting, not competing. Great body and finish that makes it smooth drinking and pleasant.”

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