Portage Pine Line DDH West Coast IPA

Portage Pine Line DDH West Coast IPA.

6.8 % ABV, 65 IBU. Portage Brewing, Walker, MN. 

And here we have the first appearance of the Portage Breewery in Walker, MN, here in the Nib. I've only had one of their beers before, a mild ale that Dave shared with me. This one is in one of my favorite styles, although I've gone on record to say that doing the ever-so popular Double Dry Hop effect with a West Coast IPA is at the least counter-intuitive. Let's check it out. 

Clear, bright golden hue, huge ivory head. Looking the part. 

In the nose: Blast of citrus and pine, powerful, aggressive. Right on the money.

In the mouth: Grapefruit, lemon and orange, with a kick of pine. A little juicy, a lot of bitter, and ending on a dry note. Almost picture perfect. Medium bodied, with a long bitter, hoppy finish. This one is no piker, and I'm happy to see them putting something like this, a real IPA, that contrast with New England after New England, ad infinitum. 

I do wish this ever bitterer, but I'm happy they took it this far. 

Paying homage to the hops that the hoppy era you see today - made with Warrior, Simcoe, Chinook, Cascade hops. Bitter, piney.

I'm going to pretend that the above is an actual sentence that makes sense.