Rentsch DDH IPA

Brewery: Rentsch Brewing
Style: American IPA (18B)
Package: 12oz Can
Best By Date:  06/29/2018
Purchased Date: HEB – Tech Ridge, April 2018

Details from the Brewer

7.7%
90 IBU

Review

Aroma – 9/12

Orange and citrus hop dominates the aroma at a moderate high intensity.  A slight pine come in a little lighter to round out the hops.  Some malty sweetness and grainy character is also present.  There is something that hints at a sharpness at the end of the smell.  Not sure if it’s alcohol or a phenol.

Appearance – 3/3

Pours a deep gold almost light amber liquid.  A noticeable haze just barely prevents seeing through the glass.  An off-white ivory head of a couple cm consists of small and fine compact bubbles.  This has decent staying power, and comes back quickly when roused.

Flavor – 15/20

The orange and citrus character from the aroma carries over to flavor, and hits hard at the start of the taste.  This mixes with a bit of a melon and pineapple notes, but at a low-medium intensity.  In the mid-palate, a moderate grainy sweetness comes out.  There is a very light bread and caramel note, but they are tucked away in the background.  The finish reveals a moderate smooth bitterness.  It also finishes dry, with the only lingering flavors being the hops.  As it warms, there is a slight sharpness which I’m not sure is due to the hops or a possible phenol.

Mouthfeel – 3/5

A moderate carbonation with a medium-light body.  Medium alcohol warmth with a touch of sharpness.  No astringency, but a chalky sensation on the finish of sips.

Overall Impression – 7/10

This is a tasty IPA.  The hop character comes out nicely in both the flavor and aroma.  I wasn’t a fan of the chalkiness which followed every sip.  I was a bit concerned by the slight sharpness character which was hinting in both the aroma and flavor, it got a bit stronger as the beer hit room temp.   If that can be addressed, it would definitely bump up to an excellent rating.

Rating – 37/50

After being dissapointed by their Blonde a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised by this DDH IPA.  It’s still drinking nicely right now being a few weeks old.  Not quite the hazy hype IPA, it was plenty juicy and presented some nice hop character.  As long as the sharpness I noted doesn’t translate into the phenols I experienced in the Blonde, this should stay a good beer.  I’m curious if Rentsch will continue down the path of releasing more beers like this, deviating from their more German oriented core beers.