Fort George Vortex IPA

Beer Name: Vortex IPA
Brewery: Fort George Brewery & Public House (Astoria, OR)
ABV: 7.7%
How sold: 4-packs of 16 oz. cans
Where bought: Johns Marketplace (Portland, OR)
Price: $2.99 for a single 16 oz. can

Date Canned: Approximately April 2015(?) ****see below
Date Purchased: May 9, 2015Date Opened/Drank: May 11, 2015
When brewed? Year-round beer

Ingredients: Check out the profile for Vortex IPA!

Where distributed: Fort George appears to stay local and ships to Washington, Oregon, and Idaho as of this blog post. I am not sure if they ship elsewhere. Check their Beer Finder!

What's on the Can: "Vortexes abound in nature: the Nebraska tornado that nearly destroyed our brewery during its cross-country truck trip to Astoria, the eddies in a rippling brook, the mystical energy nodes found in sacred places and in every can of Vortex IPA."

What's on the Website: "India Pale Ales were designed to withstand the long voyage to India. Today, it seems one has to design the IPA strong and hoppy enough to make the trip back as well. Vortex IPA is Fort George's contribution to the IPA arms race. With generous additions of Amarillo, Simcoe and Centennial hops throughout the brewing, fermentation and conditioning phases, balanced with heaps or organic pale malt, we designed this to not rip the taste buds off your tongue, but vigorously stimulate them and your palate into a lupulin-ecstacy of pleasure. During the cross-country truck trip our brewery made to find its home in Astoria it was nearly scattered to the cornfields of Nebraska by a tornado. We try to capture some of nature's intensity in every pint."

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured the entire contents into a pint glass because it is an unfiltered beer. The beer presents as a hazy light copper color, with lovely sediment sinking to the bottom and suspended all throughout the beer. Some white head upon pouring, reducing to a light sudsy surface. Very little thin lacing on the glass. 4/5

Smell (25%): Sweet-malty with alluring citrus/passion fruit aroma. Some floral and pine notes. Since the sediment suspends throughout the beer, you are guaranteed to taste it with each sip. Awesome balance. 4.5/5

Taste (40%): Sweet-malty upfront. Citrus/passion fruit, floral, and pine still stamp their presence. Incredible balance. Controlled bitter aftertaste. Full of flavor all the way through. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Malty on the tongue, at least medium-bodied in my book. A slight hint of alcohol stays on the tongue and hits the back of the throat in a light spicy manner. Some carbonation. 4/5

Overall (20%): A solid IPA. This is one I really respect primarily for its balanced nature. I felt every bit of the 7.7% stated on the can to some degree, but did not miss out on any of the malt, citrus, floral, or pine. I'm slowly becoming more a fan of unfiltered beers. Apparently, there's a date on the bottom of the can, although I couldn't quite make out on my can if it was a "canned on" date or a "best by" date. I'd guess the former, because it appeared to have "April 2015" on it, but I couldn't say for sure. A 4-pack of these 16 oz. cans routinely go for $11 to $13 in my area, whether it's the supermarket or a beer store. While it may be pricey to obtain a 4-pack of this, Vortex is a great beer that IPA lovers in the Pacific NW should at least try. 4.5/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.525/5