Ommegang Hopstate 2020 IPA (Hop Heritage Series)

Ommegang Hopstate 2020 IPA (Hop Heritage Series) Dry hopped India Pale Ale, Locally Sourced NY Hops.  

7.4 % ABV, 45 IBU. Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NU. 

Dear reader, I have sinned profoundly. It has been three years since the last entry of the Brewery Ommegang here in the Nib. They are one of my favorite breweries and I feel like I've been neglecting them. And many of the reviews posted here (but not all) in the past five years or so have been samples provided by distributors and reps. I am going to try to make sure their beers don't escape me too much in the future, while I strive to avoid those trendy $20 4-packs of hazy DDH DIPAs that always disappoint me because they taste the same. This quartet of ales was about $12 for the 16-ouncers. 

And so, here we have the first India Pale Ale from Ommegang here in the Nib. I've had every kind of beer from them you can think of, but not an IPA. (Also, it's the first Ommegang I've reviewed from a can, for whatever that's worth.) Let's drink it. 

All cloudy-like (and you know I wish it weren't), bright golden hue, slim white head. 

In the nose: floral, citrusy, stone fruit. Lightly spicy. Lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, apricot. 

In the mouth: Juicy. Bitter. Delightful. Bitterness last long on the palate, but is effortlessly balanced. Whiff of Belgian yeast. Delicious malt profile lurks below. Medium bodied, easy-drinking, ending on a grassy and dry note. Slight astringency, but tasty stuff. This is what I look for in an unfiltered IPA. 

The first three of these went down way too fast. I'd get more of these in a heartbeat. 

Hopstate IPA pours hazy pale orange with a lively white head. Bright citrus notes dominate the aroma, underpinned by vibrant floral hop character. Flavors of fresh squeezed orange juice are married to a soft, pillowy mouthfeel with moderate bitterness, and a slightly sweet finish with hints of candied orange peel