Baxter Brewing Stowaway IPA

Baxter Brewing Stowaway I.P.A. (2012)

Brewed and Canned by Baxter Brewing Co., in Lewiston, ME. USA.

Year Round Brew?

12 fl. oz. / $1.70 USD / 6.9% ABV

About: "Bold, complex flavors with a solid malt backbone and assertive hop profile, along with cold conditioning, give this beer its crisp, clean, hoppy finish. Deep amber-to-orangish in color, Stowaway pours with a nice, creamy head; a huge hop aroma of citrus, pine and grapefruit notes; and a big, complex, and intense hop flavor from the 5 different hop varieties and double-dry-hopping procedure used in making this beer. The malt flavor up-front turns dry and crisp; Stowaway is full-bodied but with a dry finish and pleasant, long-lasting, hop aftertaste. This I.P.A. definitely leaves you wanting more."

Thoughts: Poured like an orangy amber, almost golden color with an off white head bursting and popping all different sized bubbles. It's an extremely clean looking beer, totally transparent and seems to have some pretty abundant carbonation.

It's got a bit of a classic IPA scent to it. Very citrusy right off, loads of grapefruit and lemon zest. Smells tangy, and tropical, and there's a sweet malt background to it. The longer you breath it in the more slowly frosts the nostrils.

Taste is... well, similar to the smell. Though it got pretty damn bitter relatively quickly, and then a strange sensation of burnt caramel that's a bit metallic tasting hit. After that a little bit of soap and even some sourdough bread. It's pretty peppery overall, and there's a slight grassyness to it after a short while. It's got a snap to it, but I wish some of that fruitiness stuck around after the first two gulps.

Mouthfeel is pretty oily.

There's a ton of hop bitterness in this that really pops. It tastes very raw, and equally strong. And despite that soapyness, it's still pretty good. The malt background doesn't do a stellar job of balancing out this bitter bomb.