Hophunters should search far and wide to find this beauty of an IPA from Brenham. According to their website, Brazos Valley Brewing uses three types of hops in this beer to intensify the flavor. Columbus hops are added at the beginning for the strong resiny bite. Then the brew is flavored with Centennial and Cascade hops for the floral aroma and citrus finish. Finally, more floral hops are added at flameout and dry hopped with more Cascade hops to give this beer the full hoppy experience.
Overall, I loved the floral flavor in the IPA and it finishes nicely with a slight piney bite. Coming in at 7% ABV and 85 IBUs, this beer is not for the IPA beginner. Honestly, I would have had a difficult time drinking this before I started developing a flavor for IPAs, but now this beer is one of the better beers I’ve enjoyed in a while.
I wouldn’t classify this as a sessionable IPA, but you can still enjoy a couple of these responsibly over a reasonable amount of time. This beer has a beautiful golden color and I enjoyed the hoppy flavor that is impossible to miss. I compared it very favorably to Independence Stash IPA, which also uses a similar hop profile and has a similar hoppiness.