It pours a very nice honey color. Got about a finger worth of head and it seems to be holding very well due to a very lively carbonation. Hazy. Decent lacing and solid retention after about 10 minutes. Huge hop aroma. Very floral, earthy, and piney. A strong spice, too. The aroma is similar to smelling fresh hops off the vine. Some bready malt comes through carried by a strong yeast presence. Overall the aroma is just dominated by a warming herbal quality.
You're introduced up front to some nice caramel malt; not too sweet, not too dry. This is quickly overtaken by an intense astringent hop bitterness. I'm a huge hophead and bitterness is rarely something that makes a strong impression on me, but this thing will make any beer drinker pucker a bit. Beyond the bitterness, there are some spicy herbal flavors. Very oily; coats the mouth thickly. The only time any citrus seems to shine through is in the aftertaste. Strong carbonation helps carry the thin body.
I'm not too crazy about this one, though I will say I definitely enjoy the strong bitterness. Being a California brewery, you might expect more West Coast IPA character here, but they were definitely going for something a bit different.
