Tupps IPA

Brewery: Tupps Brewery
Style: American IPA (18B)
Package: 12oz Can
Purchased: Central Market Lamar, June, 2018
Packaged Date: N/A
Consumed Date: 6/15/18

Details from the Brewer

ABV: 7.1%
IBU: 50

India Pale Ale brewed with Citra, Galaxy and Mosaic Hops. Bursting with tropical aromas, this IPA is loaded with citrus and fruit-forward hops.

Review

Aroma – 10/12

High intensity orange citrus, pineapple, and mango hits the nose first.  There’s a good level of dank, resinous hop character present as well.   A low level of sweetness is present, with a similar level  grainy, doughy character.

Appearance – 3/3

Pours a deep gold, light amber liquid.  Tons of head.  Fine and small ivory bubbles compose  a long lasting thick layer.  A nice lacing sticks to the glass as its drank.  Clarity is decent with a slight haze, maybe from dry hopping.  Pouring the bottom of the can, brings a lot of sediment with it.

Flavor – 17/20

Citrus and tropical fruits hit the tongue first at a high intensity.  Some papaya and maybe guava character comes out.  A more grassy and resin character peaks through at a medium level next.  This is quickly joined by a moderate high bitterness, which lasts through the taste and lingers on the finish.  There’s a slight grainy malt character with a low medium malty sweetness as well.    Some of the citrus character lingers on the finish, along with a prickling bitterness on the tongue.  Balance is massively hop forward.

Mouthfeel – 4/5

Medium bodied throughout the taste.  Carbonation is moderately high.  Some alcohol warming is present on the finish, lingering in the throat for a second.  A low astringency is present.

Overall Impression – 8/10

A great IPA!  I’m really enjoying the hop combination used in this beer.  There is a little room to clean up some astringency and a bitterness that lingers just a touch too long.  That and a little more brightness to the hop profile would push this beer to world-class.

Rating – 42/50

This is my first time having a hop-forward beer from Tupps and I’m impressed.   They have a unique 6-in-a-row 6-pack that stands out on the shelf.  It’s definitely a beer worth trying if you haven’t yet.  While it doesn’t necessarily do anything new in the IPA realm, it’s a well executed west coast style, with a softer mouthfeel and restrained bitterness.  I’ll be looking forward to trying their DDH IPA soon.