Exit Brewing #011 American Red IPA

Rating:

13177791_514728462044637_2082758605818940767_n“The last beer out of Derrimut before we brew out of Dandy South. It’s a hoppy beast. Think of it like our #005 Amber ale on steroids”

Served in an IPA glass. This elegant looking beauty pours a cloudy copper red hue that’s topped off by a modest finger of creamy off white foam. It isn’t retained all that well as it reduces to a halo with scarce lace trailing it down. The nose is a lot more complex than we were expecting, much more “Amber ale on steroids” than American red IPA. We get heavy syrup notes leading out, plenty of sweet butterscotch, caramel and toffee that’s balanced with stewed fruits and liqueur-drenched mango, rockmelon and apricot. Maybe a touch of pineapple juice poking through too. Something damp and resinous in here as well, almost piney. Can’t quite put our finger on it. Very well layered aroma. The mouth feel is silky smooth with a subtle dryness developing toward the back palate. Co2 is moderate and the body medium. Can’t find an IBU anywhere but our guess would be around the 40-50 mark. Our thoughts on the flavour profile mirror our initial thoughts on the aroma, although much heavier in caramel malts with an assertive hop bitterness on the tongue. Also similar to the aroma is this certain liqueur-ish complexity. It kind of reminds us of Vin de Vie or Grand Marnier with it’s caramelized sweetness and alcoholic astringency. The dry piney hops not only pull the sweetness back but round out a seriously complex IPA with a tonne of character. Initially we thought it was just a big hoppy amber ale but the layers of malt, hops, alcohol and this fortified wine-like complexity that comes through hands this beer a unique flavour. Kudos to Exit, this is one seriously quaffable drop.