Firestone Walker Leo v. Ursus (Fortem) IPA

Beer Name: Leo v. Ursus - Fortem
Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co. (Paso Robles, CA)
ABV: 8.2%
How sold: Four-packs of 16 oz tallboy cans; on draft
Where bought: Belmont Station (Portland, OR)
Price: $4.46(!) for 16 oz. single

Date Canned: February 24, 2017
Date Purchased: March 11, 2017
Date Opened/Drank: March 19, 2017
IBUs: 55

When brewed? Limited-time beer. Part of the new Leo v. Ursus Chronology Series. This is the first beer in the series. Best enjoyed 120 days from canning date.

What's on the Website: "Fortem is a new-age imperial IPA that draws upon a range of influences, all while exhibiting DNA from our own forays into the IPA style. As such, it blends newer hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest and Hallertau, Germany along with pale malt, wheat malt and flaked oats for a full body and rounded mouthfeel. Fortem presents an expressive mix of aromas, including mango, blueberry, raspberry, lime zest and lychee. After time in the glass, it opens up to reveal stone fruit blossoms and mandarin oranges, finishing with just enough bitterness to encourage your next sip. Fortem has been left unfiltered for a hazy appearance and full hop impact." Read more here!

Where distributed: Firestone Walker distributes to several states. Fortem was and will be released in three different shipments (one in February 2017, one in March 2017, and one in April 2017). Find out if it is coming to your area!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured initially clear golden into a pint glass. Final pour produced all the sediment, which had seemingly settled to the bottom of the can. Definitely unfiltered as advertised. Very frothy white head, good lacing. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Very tropical. Getting many of the sweet fruity flavors, such as peach, papaya, berry, and lychee. Probably could pass for a hoppy pale ale or a session IPA. 4.25/5

Taste (40%): Citrusy and sweet-tropical from the start, with a subtle, yet noticeable malt that will remind you it can pack some type of punch if you keep drinking it. Aftertaste has more citrus, peach, lychee, and papaya-type notes. May be a bit too sweet tropical for me at times. 4/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, good carbonation. Will get fairly dry on the tongue, but still refreshing. Citrus bitterness will linger. 4.25/5

Overall (20%): An awesome IPA. Although I already have a ton of beers to review - which will already span into the summer months, I had to make room for the first beer in the Leo v. Ursus series. Fortem has qualities of the tropical session IPA with a complementing maltier backbone that Double IPAs could possess. This was a very good start to the series, and I'm looking forward to more. Have to admit though, that may have been slightly on the pricier side for a tallboy.... 4.25/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.263/5