I love IPA's. When I first started transitioning from the world of macro brews to craft brews, this was not the case - the bitterness and hops present a challenging barrier to entry for anyone making this change. But as I tried more and more types of beer, I found not only that IPA's were becoming my favorite, but that many breweries adhered to a formula of "let's see how much hops we can assault the drinker with."
I'm happy to report that Coronado's Idiot IPA is no idiot when it comes to hops. This beer drinks delightfully from start to finish for a number of reasons: the nose is sweet and inviting, the hops are subtle but present, the malt is enjoyable but not overpowering, and the mouthfeel is cool and fresh. I really can't find anything wrong with this beer, though I do sense a slight bitter aftertaste common to most IPA's I've enjoyed, so I'll just write that off to the variety of beer rather than the brew itself.
I should add that a few months ago my beer enthusiast buddy held a blind IPA tasting where we tasted about 10 beers and scored each along the way, and in the end this beer took top marks. I think with this pour I'm finally ready to add Coronado's Idiot IPA to my list of "Favorite IPA's," along with Dogfish Head 90min IPA and Lagunitas' IPA. Do yourself a favor and give this one a try.
1 comment:
Finally logging on after a long hiatus and read your review of Idiot IPA. I also like this beer a lot, but I think I prefer Coronado's Islander IPA by a smidge. Idiot IPA actually took 3rd place in our tasting, and Islander took 2nd. Port Brewing 4th Anniversary won overwhelmingly.
I still maintain that the maltier IPAs had an advantage in that tasting because of palate fatigue from the hops, but it was definitely fun and interesting. The next tasting I want to have is a blind Saison tasting. We should do it soon!
Drinking a Russian River Supplication as I write this :) Cheers!
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