Breakside Brewery What Rough Beast IPA

Beer Name: What Rough Beast
Brewery: Breakside Brewery (Portland, OR)
ABV: 6.8%
How sold: 22 oz bottles; on draft; various keg sizes
Where bought: N.W.I.P.A. (Portland, OR)
Price: $3.00 for 16 oz. pint

Date Released: August 22, 2017 (approximate)
Date Purchased/Drank: September 9, 2017
When brewed? Special release from late August to November. Hoping to be a returning seasonal beer.

IBU: 55

Suggested Food Pairings: Connecticut-style Lobster roll with butter, Grilled steelhead with sweet onions and Japanese turnips, Cabot clothbound cheddar, Steamer clams with bacon and fried green tomatoes. (from New School Beer)

What's on the Website: "Contemporary India Pale Ale brewed with feet firmly planted in the Northwest and a nod to New England. Mosaic and Columbus hops get lots of play here creating a beer that is tropical, fruity, dank, soft, and balanced." Read more here! (also see New School Beer article)

Where Distributed: Breakside likely will keep this beer local for now.

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured hazy orange golden into a pint glass. Frothy white head, some lacing. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Very tropical; getting mainly orange and tangerine in there. 4.5/5

Taste (40%): Mostly follows the nose. Lots of tropical from start to finish. Picking up a more complex flavor than what I got on the nose. Getting tangerine and orange, but also some passion fruit, guava, apricot, and peach. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, some carbonation. Very juicy on the tongue. 4.5/5

Overall (20%): An outstanding IPA. As part of its 5th Anniversary, N.W.I.P.A. scored a keg of Breakside's latest New England-style IPA, and for good reason...it's damn good. Breakside has released the New England style IPA before, and they continue to hit home runs with What Rough Beast. This drank quite easily, with lots of tropical, and possessed a good refreshing feel. Two thumbs up here. 4.5/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.5/5