Apr 12, 2011

Henry Weinhard’s IPA

This is a review of a promotional sample received from the brewery.

While SABMiller-owned Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Co. (brewer of Henry Weinhard’s IPA) does do some on-site brewing for their flagship beers, they also employ the talented folks at Full Sail Brewing to take care of a few others. I’m not entirely sure where this IPA was brewed, though I can tell you it doesn’t much taste like any of the Full Sail IPAs I’ve had.

Henry Weinhard's IPA photoNot the best photo ever, but it works… sort of.

Henry Weinhard’s IPA reminded me more of an English IPA than something brewed up on the West Coast. It doesn’t quite have that juicy hop character that comes to mind when I think of IPAs concocted in that area. That said, the newest year-round release from Blitz-Weinhard Brewing isn’t a bad brew — it’s smooth drinking, not quite sessionable (6% ABV) and, from what I understand, reasonably priced.

Appearance

The IPA pours a golden amber in color with a slowly fading white head that resulted in decent lacing along the glass.

Aroma

Light, bready malts and grassy hops combine for a fairly clean nose. The hops don’t have much of a citrus or fruity nature, but instead are in the more green, grassy range.

Taste

The brew isn’t quite as balanced as the nose. The flavors start off with a solid toasted malt front before transitioning quickly to a grassy hop character. There’s a decent amount of bitterness in the relatively dry finish. Again, the brew reminds me more of an English IPA with a bit more hop punch. It’s not quite what I would refer to as a West Coast IPA given the region it’s brewed. The blend of Galena, Cascade and Citra hops, for some reason, just didn’t bring a lot of fruity notes to the brew. Still, it is an easy drinking, crisp brew that would serve nicely after working out in the yard all day.

Overall

I’m not wholly familiar with any of the other products from Blitz-Weinhard Brewing so I’m not sure how the middle-of-the-road nature to this brew compares with the rest of the company’s portfolio. I found the beer easy drinking with a long lasting bite that was refreshing. It would make for a nice lawnmower beer, that’s for sure. I just don’t see it replacing any of my favorite IPAs in the fridge any time soon.

Rating: 3/5

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