Shephard Warrior IPA

Brewery: 5 Stones
Style: American IPA (21A)
Package: 16oz Can
Purchased: January 2019, HEB
Best By Date: 12/20/18
Consumed Date: 2/2/19

Details from the Brewer

ABV: 7.2%

Dry Hopped with Citra and Mosaic

Review

Aroma – 8/12

Orange citrus, Guava and blueberry aromas hit first at a medium-high level.  This is wrapped in a low-medium resin character with a bit of durian or B.O.  There’s a moderate doughy malt character.  A low-medium alcohol note is also present.   Slightly fruity fermentation character.  Some red apple esters perhaps.  

Appearance – 2/3

Pours a very deep straw, almost gold with an orange hue.  Small and medium bubble of an ivory color compose an hearty, thick head.  It stays around with above average retention.   Clarity is obscured by a moderate-heavy haze.  Very fine and fine particulates are also present in the pour.

Flavor – 15/20

Citrus and guava at a medium high intensity.  Some lower flavors of guava, and ripe mango intermix.  Towards the midtaste, the doughy wheat character comes out to play with a moderate bitterness.  Some of the brighter fruit character fades to a more overripe “stinky” tropical flavor as the finish approaches.  The finish is slightly sharp with a lingering hop character and a touch of sweetness.

Mouthfeel – 4/5

Medium carbonation hits the rear of the mouth.  Moderate-high body throughout the taste.  Some hop oil slickness towards the end of the taste, but fades quickly on the finish.  A good amount of alcohol warming character on the throat.  As it warms, there’s a low creaminess, and slight savory/mouth watering character.

Overall Impression – 7/10

This IPA fits the style well.  It has a great hop expression with a nice wheat backbone.  I feel like the finish could use either a touch more bitterness to go with the sharpness and cleanse the palette.  Alternatively, it could be a touch softer  like a hazy IPA.  The hop character also seems to progress in a strange direction towards the finish.  The initial flavors are great, but the overripe direction doesn’t work well.  Maybe selecting a different hop lot, or fresher hops would help with this.

Rating – 35/50

This beer does a similar blending of IPA styles as some of the Pinthouse Pizza IPAs.  That said, it needs a bit of work on the finish to be up to that quality.  The can art is cool, and goes along with this strange David & Goliath theme they have with their IPA line.  Overall, this IPA could use a bit of fine tuning, but it’s a nice throwback to a time when Citra and Mosaic hops were the rage.