Kelley Brothers Four Towers IPA

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

Not quite what I'd call a beer that I look for on a routine basis. A yeasty aroma that masks the usual hoppy IPA aroma but with a nice head. The hops were scaled down from the standard levels here. It went well with the food fare at the brewery, but I couldn't see myself drinking it solo.

Re-rate 10/1/2007 - Incredible turn about from these guys. I had this beer on cask and it was insanely tasty, coming from these guys. Aroma of flowery hops, rose petals, light fleshy fruits and a sweet caramel backbone. Flavor was overtly hoppy but not balls to the walls hoppy. A pleasant floral hop character went really well with the malts. Something that I could easily drink many pints of. Well done to the brewer of this one.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Medium gold color. Small head. Aroma is minimal but it slightly fruity and sweet. A medium bodied IPA. Malts are nutty and fruity. Maps are slightly spicy and piney. Touch of citrus, but NOT in a good way. There is also a hint of wet cardboard. Not very good at all. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 2

~ Initial Review, 05-09-2004:
A case where I should have checked out other reviews before shelling out the cash for a six-pack of this. A classic example of why I prefer to buy singles of beer, before I decide to possibly get stuck with a stinker of a sixer.

I wouldn't go that far with this particular IPA, to be honest. That is to say, it isn't so terrible that I feel the overweling need to dump it down the drain to free up space in my `fridge. But, along those same lines, this is strictly marginal, at best.

Good solid head of foam, with some basic lacing. And even the aroma is mildly interesting -- kinda thick and bready, IMO.

But there's the kicker. That very-same thickness and breadiness carries over to the mouthfeel and flavor profile. One sip later, I already have the impression that this reminds me of a classic example of an under-fermented homebrew. Too thick and viscious to let the hop-profile shine. And for something like an IPA, not having the hops front-row/center is definately a deal-breaker. Might be interesting to age this a few months, but then again, whatever hops that are in the beer would only subside with age, not improve in stature.

More of a heavy-handed, under-fermented Brown Ale than any sort of hop-heavy American Pale Ale/IPA. And while that unto itself isn't horrible overall, it doesn't really fly in my book when I'm looking for a solid hop-fix.

"A Sandwich In Every Bottle"? Perhaps. Once this is drier and hoppier, I'll re-investigate this. Until then, there are way too many better IPA's than this, from California, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Washington, Oregon, Maine, Alaska, North Carolina, etc, etc...

Edit: Unfinishable, to be honest. Quite tempted to dump the remaining beers down the drain.... I need a Stone IPA to wash out away the nastiness....

~ Re-Review, 07-31-2004:
As I figured, this is just as nasty if you cellar it for a while. A bit softer in the mouthfeel, which does help the hops shine a bit more. But in the grand scheme of things, this still sucks a*s, IMO. I refuse to waste any more time on this one....
//TB