Brewery Lane Series: Imperial White IPA

This Imperial White IPA pours a deep gold color with slightly hazy clarity.  A lathery, bone white head is persistent during the entire beer.  The aroma of this beer is very forward, consisting of moderate, general grainy base malt sweetness and a moderate-high citrus aroma that blends well with lemon grass notes.  There is a sublime spicy, phenolic yeast character in the aroma that is appropriate for the white IPA style.  The flavor consists of moderate-high malt sweetness with moderate grainy base malt flavor.  The hop bitterness is moderate bordering moderate-high.  The hop flavor is moderate and is comprised of tropical and citrus like hops; the lemongrass character melds very well with the hop flavor profile.  There is a slight grassy note, which is pleasant and not overdone.  This beer has a yeast fermentation character that is notably Belgian with a spicy clove like phenolic and a hints of bubblegum character.  This phenolic character compliments the apparent dry hopping of the beer.  This beer is balanced slightly towards the malt though the hop profile becomes apparent in the after taste.  The beer’s body is medium with ample carbonation.  There is a noticeable alcohol warmth, which is slightly tamed by the sweetness of the beer.  Overall, this is a fun and interesting beer which hits the highlights of the combination of the two styles (Witbier and Imperial IPA).  White IPA’s are a relatively new style (since late 2010) and I expect to see more breweries produce them.  This beer would pair well with a rich bleu cheese where the malt sweetness would balance out, while the phenolic spice would also accentuate, the pungency of the cheese.