American Imperial IPA, 8.4%ABV
Malt bill: pale, wheat, flaked oats
Hops bill: Citra
This is a straightforward, single-hopped New England-style Imperial IPA from Wilmington Brewing Company that proves that they can play the New England-style game just as well as they can West Coast-style.
Turbid as juice and pale gold in color, it wears a large, slightly pebbly white head that leaves fair swoops and bands of lacing. The medium nose is delicious: candied pineapple with sweetish herbal topnotes and hints of tamarind and lemon.
Up front, the palate is very slightly bitter pineapple and grapefruit, with slight alcohol undertones. Mid-palate, a moderate nutty/caramel malt character shows, as does a moderate astringency and a bit of grassiness, with a modest boozy undertow. The finish is a modest hit of sweet pineapple, caramel and booze, followed by the onset of a very mild pine bitterness that lasts a good while. Retrogustative olfaction is candylike and a bit grassy.
Mouthfeel is on point for the light/medium body, and is medium-creamy, significantly astringent and quite peppery from the enthusiastic carbonation.
Overall, this is a tasty example of the style that hides its booze well. Wilmington Brewing does not disappoint.
(16 oz can, 2 days after canning)
(c) 2018 Old Man Metal
Old Man Metal's Musings 
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