Jul 26, 2013

Foothills Brewing Cottonwood Endo

We’re just about done with the run of beers — this is the second to last bottle — that I picked up while on vacation in North Caroline a couple of weeks ago. Foothills Brewing Cottonwood Endo is a 6% ABV (66IBU) American IPA that may have been the most unassuming of the bunch I bought, but was also one of the more enjoyable. It’s not as fruity as it’s slightly bigger brother/cousin Hoppyum, but it’s got a great combination of earthy, herbal hops and bready malts.

Cottonwood Endo carries a blend of Cascade, Magnum and Chinook hop varieties to bring you a solid amount of bitterness that lingers wonderfully as a grassy, leafy character. I don’t believe this particular beer is as dynamic as the Hoppyum, but it’s straightforward nature hit on all the things that I really like about an IPA.

Appearance

The beer pours golden amber in color with a rocky cap of off-white foam. As you can see by the photo below, Cottonwood Endo left behind a good amount of sticky lace as it magically disappeared from the glass.

Aroma

Grapefruit, pine, light orange zest and a leafy, grassy character. Smells like a solid East Coast IPA to me.

Taste

To summarize, Cottonwood Endo is an earthy, leafy IPA with plenty of bite. Piney hops with a touch of grapefruit and light, bready malt in the background fill the mouth smoothly on crisp carbonation. The lasting hop presence rests comfortably in the slightly drying finish.

Overall

Sure I like a solid amount of fruit in my IPAs, but I’m also a sucker for those that aren’t overly fruity and are packed full of leafy goodness like this bottle of Cottonwood Endo. The brew has a great IPA character with an excellent amount of bitterness that just hits the spot for me and refreshes nicely.

Rating: 3.75/5

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