Re: Grasslands Brewing Co. IIPA batch 1

BTW, I posted the review here:

http://novabeerandfood.blogspot.com/

It's a place I used to log beers, but haven't used it in a while, mostly because of untappd.

On Mon, Dec 23, 2013 at 10:37 AM, Jay Patel <jpatelcissp@gmail.com> wrote:

Grasslands Brewing Co. IIPA (batch 1?) December 22, 2013

Aroma:

Lots of pine and that works for me this time of year. Less citrus, and that's (IMHO) a matter of brewer's choice based on hops. No real dank aroma. Spiciness is present, coriander?

Appearance:

No head on first pour (1/4 bottle). Final pour was more vigorous and produced some head, but it dissipates quickly.

The color is a tad more brown than I'd expect in a DIPA. Cloudy for sure. 

Flavor:

Strong bitterness works with the spiciness. The spiciness is big and comes across with heat from the booze. CORIANDER confirmed! More burn. Carbonation, spiciness, and booze collude to overpower any malt. There is malt in the finish, but my tongue is spent after the bitter and burn.

Mouthfeel:

The bitterness, booze, and carbonation result in a tad too much harshness with no smoothness. Perhaps intended, but missing some maltiness.

Overall:

The beer was really bitter, but coriander didn't work well in my opinion. Maybe it was too heavy handed. Unlike beers such as Heady Topper or Pliny the Elder, this is not a beer I'd chose to drink too much of in a session. More malt to balance the bitterness, maybe more aroma, and tone down the brown color and coriander, to bring it more in line. 

I hope I'm right about the coriander, otherwise my credibility in this review will seem thin. Either way, I hope you don't take my criticism personally, I'm just trying to give honest feedback.