Enki Tail Feather IPA

ENKI Tailfeather IPA. Brewed and bottled by ENKI Brewing (why do I capitalize? Because autocorrect won't let me get away with "Enki", keeps turning it into "once"!), Victoria, MN.
There's a code sticker on the side, reading BT1122TF 020116. I think that means it was bottled on Feb. 1, 2016.

I've had Enki beers on tap and in the taproom, and have never been impressed. Didn't like this one when I had a pint of it nearly two years ago. But now it's in a bottle in my local bottle shop here in Minneapolis. Better give it another try, right? Especially since my friends have been telling me: "give Enki another try, won't ya, Al?" So, I will. Here we go. Tail feather IPA.7% ABV. 75 IBU.

Clear, amber/crimson coloring, large and lace-leaving creamy head. Not so bad.

Aroma: malty, hoppy, fruity, not any one particular fruit, just a little bit of all of them, some apple, berry, maybe melon. Eh.

Taste: big hops, big malt, big, bold, and eh. This is just like the one I had on tap at the brewery. Misguided. Lacking charm and guile. Possessing neither wit nor sophistication. Just a lump sum of ingredients that do not deliver any as semblance of grace or delicacy. Here comes the apple and the berry and the whatever else. A little earthy, with some caramel malt. Sweetness to match the modicum of bitter. It's clearly patterned after an English IPA, but the various components and array of flavors are so scattershot, it's really just a mixed-up mess of an ale, and I don't enjoy it.

There's nothing terribly wrong with it, it's just not what I can dig. I can drink this, but it's not floating the boat. Again....eh.

Actually, you know, I'm a gonna say more. Don't put Caramel malt in an IPA. That is all.

Here's the official gobbledygook, from the website: ENKI® Tail Feather IPA, has officially landed. This beer pours a brilliant goldenrod color and carries a long lasting, silky head. A hefty blend of classic Pacific Northwest hops gives this beer the iconic bitterness IPA drinkers have come to expect. A juicy burst of pummelo and fresh cut flowers excite the palate, thanks to dry hopping process. Deliberately unbalanced to delight hop-craving aficionados we use just enough malt to give a full body and smooth mouth feel. The bitter finish lingers on long after drinking.

7.0% ABV, 77 IBUs.

I think I completely disagree with the gobbledygook. Weird.