Tasting Day: Mad Hopper IPA #1

Recipe and Brewday here.

Technically it has been over two and a half months since I brewed the Mad Hopper IPA #1 and I first tasted it a few weeks ago. 

I then had another bottle a few days ago and I have to say that the IPA’s characteristics have changed since I last tasted it. It seems to have matured a bit, the piney, citrus aromas stand out and it is very well carbonated.

The beer pours with a cloudy amber hue and immediately forms a thick white head. The head sticks around for a bit initially and then settles into a half finger thick head foam. What I will state (and may even end up overstating it) is the aromas. The aroma was very noticeable when I popped open the bottle and when I poured the beer. It is a very pleasant citrus, grassy and piney aroma that didn’t overwhelm me. In fact, the aroma makes for a very pleasant drinking IPA but this is not a session IPA either. The amber color is largely from the caramelization of the malt extract since it was boiled for an hour.

This is a medium bodied beer and it tends to linger on the palate longer than most of my current beers which are light bodied. The bitterness is on the lower side for IPAs but then as a home brewer, I think I have the liberty to keep it that way. The head stuck around for some time as I slowly finished the beer but there was no lacing throughout the beer.

I plan on brewing more of these IPAs but the recipe will change based on what hops I have at home. All in all, this is a very comfortable, aromatic, hoppy beer that can be liked by most hop heads.