BlackStack Tinseltown West Coast IPA

BlackStack Tinseltown West Coast IPA.

7% ABV. BlackStack Brewing, St. Paul, MN.

And here we have a BlackStack beer that I couldn't not try, for I've basically been begging for it. I see new BlackStack beers on a weekly basis, and it's always "oh, another DDH hazy DIPA, ho, hum, yet another TIPA, another $20 4-pack." And now they released a $12 4-pack in the form of a non-hazy West Coast-style IPA, the kind I like. And this time, they're not being sarcastic about it. At least, not in the name.

Let's get into it...

Beautifully clear, bright golden hue, slim white head. 

In the nose: Bold hop display, citric, floral, a touch of pine. And a twist of cat pee. 

In the mouth: Crisp and clean, bright and hoppy. Orange and lemon, with the prick of the pine. Just a bit. Light bodied, and easily consumed. Big bitterness, plenty of play on the palate. A touch juicy, but ultimately dry. At the end, though, I'm nonplussed. This one doesn't come close enough to the best of the style that it is (seemingly reluctantly) trying to emulate. Close, alas, but the cigar is not given. Tasty, though, so I'll take it. 

Wait, did I say not sarcastic? Check this out: Another one of those C-Thru IPAs like our ancestors drank. Beautiful Vistas of Simcoe, Nugget & Mosaic Cryo on a crispity, crushity pils base. Pack up the trunk with this puppy & head out West.

Guys. That's cute and everything, but the New England/Hazy IPA style is only five years old. Everything has a cycle. To pretend that this newer style is here to stay and that West Coast is a thing of the past is short-sighted. I feel that tongues will tire of the hazy style, as surely as everything new under the sun has it's season, and each fad will surely pass. 

Make IPAs bitter again! The Bitter Nib demands it!