Karl Strauss Isomerizer IPA
If there’s one interpretation of the IPA that excites me the most, it’s those brewed with a single hop variety. The prospect of experiencing the array of aromas and flavors that a good brewer can coax from that one variety via the boil and dry hopping is quite enticing. For those of you lucky enough to be familiar with the plethora of IPAs that Karl Strauss has released through the years, you already know the company knows how to handle hops. Isomerizer IPA is the company’s new year round offering and it’s a single-hopped brew focusing on the Mosaic variety.
Based on the success of their Mosaic Session IPA, the brewers at the San Diego company wanted to explore the popular hop variety further. After sampling the two cans the brewery was nice enough to share with me, I can only thank them and their curiosity. The 7% ABV (60 IBU) Isomerizer IPA presents an array of aromas and flavors dominated with tropical citrus notes and grapefruit as soft pine noes and a touch of cereal grains (for balance) help support everything. A crisp mouthfeel carries the flavors across the palate with a refreshing outcome and deceptively easy drinking nature. The IPA finishes with a lasting tingle of hop bitterness and gentle warmth.
A well crafted single-hopped IPA can present a wide array of flavors and aroma. Isomerizer IPA is not just a good single-hop brew, but is simply a darn good beer period. A great blend of tropical flavors and pine are the starts, but the IPA also offers a good amount of hop bitterness all within a sneaky drinkable facade. The two samples the company shipped to Barley Blog HQ did not last long at all.
This is a review of a promotional sample.