Beer Tasting - Curmudgeon IPA

I bottled the Curmudgeon IPA over a month ago, so it's been ready for a beer tasting for a while. As you may remember from the brewing blog for this beer, it was inspired by my roommate and friend Max. His graphic designer girlfriend Jeanette created a label while we waited for the beer to ferment, then bottle condition. Last night we printed off the labels and put the finishing touches on the end product.

I'll be following the five category format from beeradvocate.com: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Mouthfeel and Overall.  

Appearance: Amber/copper colour, light bubbly head. Head dissipates quite quickly, but a 1/4 inch layer hangs around. 

Smell: Tropical fruit, pineapple, mango and a bit of a grapefruit note. Not a whole lot of other citrus aromas, which are regulars for typical American style IPAs. It smells very sweet and not pungently bitter.

Taste: Very sweet malt character and quickly balances out. Not overly bitter at all, this is likely because the ABV is higher than targeted (7.8%) so even though the IBU (International Bittering Units) is 60, the warming aspect of the alcohol cuts the bitterness and leaves behind the aroma and flavour of the hops. Can taste a bit of the tropical fruit aspect of the Falconer's Flight hops. It finishes more balanced than bitter, which is out of style for an American IPA.

Mouthfeel: Pretty light and easy drinking for the 7.8% ABV. The effervescence is very light and just provides a slight tingle at the start of each sip.

Overall: It's pretty good, but when I make it again, I'll either add additional Mosiac hops early during the boil to make it more bitter, or tone down the ABV a bit, or a combination of both. I do enjoy the aroma and flavour provided by both the Mosiac and Falconer's Flight hops as they are much different than Cascade, Centennial or Amarillo, which are typically used in American style IPAs. It goes without saying that the label is a major highlight for the beer. If ever taken to market, I feel like the label could spark some initial sales on it's own, but the beer could use some tweaking for repeat sales.

Thanks for reading!