Elm Creek Outta Pocket West Coast IPA

 Elm Creek Outta Pocket West Coast IPA.

7.5 % ABV, Elm Creek Brewing, Champlin, Minnesota. 

And now for a West Coast IPA from a brewer known only for hazies. Let’s see how this works out. 

Hazy (big points docked!), deep orange hue, milky froth atop. 

In the nose: citrusy, tropical, slightly sweet, orange peel and passion fruit. 

In the mouth: soft, mild, too sweet. Hardly qualifies as a West Coast IPA. Barely distinguishable from any of their hazies. Lacking any crispness or hop attack of any kind. Lack of clarity disqualifies this as a West Coast IPA. 

Hop flavors linger on the palate, but there’s almost no bitterness, which is required in a West Coast. It tastes like any other hazy IPA and nothing like a West Coast.

Let’s go back a bit. This brewery arrived at the store where I work sometime last year and brought samples of their NE IPAs. They were good for that style. The fruited sours were also decent. And that’s what they kept bringing, time after time. One day, I teased the driver: don’t you have anything else but hazy IPAs and fruity sours? His response was, hey, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? I found this utterly nonsensical and shared the story on my Facebook page. Friends who get out to taprooms more than I told of the other styles they make well and the awards they’ve achieved. And yet they don’t release those. 

Months later, they released a kölsch, but I was never in the mood to pick up a 4-pack with my own money. 

Finally, a sample came my way, allegedly in my favorite style. 

But, it’s not. Not even close. It’s just another hazy, lacking any connection to the style. Boo!

A traditional West coast IPA brewed with Amarillo and Centennial. With aromas of orange pith on the nose, followed by a smooth mouth feel and flavors of Stone Fruits.  

I honestly don’t think they know what they are talking about. There’s nothing “traditional West Coast IPA” about this.