Full Sail Prodigal Sun IPA

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

On tap at Hamiltons. Pours with an amber body topped by a thick head wtih lots of lacing. It’s bitter and hoppy with lots of pine notes and light underlying citrus notes. Medium to full bodied, tingly and warming.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces an almost four-finger thick, light tan colored head. The head has quite a bit of structure to it as it leaves ample lacing and forms all sorts of interesting structures as it slowly recedes. The beer is a nice amber hue that shows a mostly clear, bright copper color when held up to the light. The aroma has a nice resinous hop character to it with some citrus fruit and a touch of malt character thrown in for good measure. Aromas of pine, a hint of hemp and peppery tobacco are tempered a bit by notes of Meyer lemon, grapefruit zest and some watered down orange juice notes. The malt adds a hint of cracker-like malt to the finish that is more noticeable as you really dig for it, but never supersedes the hop character.

A biting, dry bitterness up front yields to a touch of sweet malt and a citrus hop character, but then moves back to a solid bitterness and a dry finish. Herbal, pine accented hops dominate the flavor profile along with the bitterness with notes of tobacco, hemp oil, a touch of garlic chive, menthol and pine tar. Notes of grapefruit and tangelo peel are noticeable in the middle, but at times can be completely drowned out by the more herbaceous hop notes. This has a nice, light, drinkable body to it for an IPA. There is just enough malt to not let the hops become completely overwhelming, but it could probably use a touch more malt to balance the aggressive hop character just a smidgeon.

With its herbaceous hop focus this is definitely an aggressively hopped IPA. It is fun if you like to be slapped around by hops, which I admit can be fun at times.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A very enjoyable IPA. Pours yellow-orange with thick off-white head. Aroma is overwhelmingly hoppy--grapefruit and pine (delicious). Taste is mostly hops with a touch of malt. Not very well balanced but, as a hop lover, this isn't a problem. Would definitely buy this again.