Belching Beaver Ride the Pine West Coast IPA India Pale Ale

 Belching Beaver Ride the Pine West Coast IPA India Pale Ale.

7.5% ABV. Belching Beaver Brewing, San Leandro, CA. 

Almost clear, golden hue, slim white head.

In the nose: citrusy, with a pinch of pine. 

In the mouth: grapefruit starts it off, with orange, lemon, lime in the blend, pine on the side. Not as intense, bitter or dry as I’d hoped. A little too juicy. Like a hazy straining to become a WCIPA, but unable to cross the finish line. It’s a good IPA, but it misses the mark for a West Coast. They’ve done better. As it is, I enjoy it well enough. 

Hop harvest marks a unique occasion for brewers to use an ingredient available only once a year: wet hops. During normal processing, hops are dried, sacrificing many volatile aromas and flavors. Wet hops are expedited to the brewery so we can use them within hours of coming off the bine, thus preserving all of their hoppy wonder for you to enjoy.