Samuel Adams Rebel IPA

Samuel Adams Rebel IPA, West Coast Style, Brewed for the Revolution, 6.5% ABV.

There is a well-known, far-distributed, long-lived and prolific brewery that hasn't found it's way in The Bitter Nib very often, and that is Samuel Adams. I've reviewed 24 of their beers on BeerAdvocate.com, and only 5 of them here, so far.

I found a 12-pack of this new-ish IPA because it was fairly inexpensive ($11.99 for a 6-pack) and I needed some good ol' drinking beers. I'm down to my last one. Time to take the notes.

Appearance: clear, bright golden hue, long-lasting, bone white head, looking good.

Aroma: Fresh and lively hop aromatics, screaming with citrus and tropical fruits, bristling with pine and grass. Green as it gets.

Taste: Brisk hop bite at the front, soft and mellow from there on out. Light bodied, but with a long, bitter hop finish. Exquisite drinkability, but for hop-heads only. Bitter hop resins lay long on the palate, providing more than sufficient refreshment for those of us who crave the alpha acids.

A very nice rendition of this popular style, but it's not just not landing on the top tier, I'm afraid. A few steps short.

Wait. I just noticed something. The box reads: "Enjoy before Dec. 2014." No specific date given. This was purchased in early December 2014. I always see a lot of these cases at the store I bought it at, I'm guessing it's not that popular, for whatever reason. Maybe if I'd bought it earlier, it would taste fresher, and I'd see higher up on that tier…maybe...

What's the paper on the bottle say? "Rebel IPA is brewed with 5 varieties of West Coast hops: Cascade, Simcoe, Centennial, Chinook & Amarillo, It's everything we love about West Coast-style IPAs, Big citrus & grapefruit flavors with subtle pine notes for a flavorful, refreshing brew."