Old Nation Brewing M-43 IPA

Beer Name: M-43
Brewery: Old Nation Brewing (Williamston, MI)
ABV: 6.8%
How sold: 16 oz tallboy cans; on draft
Where bought: (bought online)
Price: $44.99 for 4-pack of 16 oz tallboy cans. Yes, that's a lot of money, but it was for science.

Date Canned: August 17, 2017
Date Purchased: August 31, 2017
Date Opened: September 21, 2017
When brewed? Year-round beer. Cans rolled out throughout Michigan in April 2017. The first release in Old Nation's "New Orthodox" IPA Series.
IBU: 65

What's on the Can/Website: "The First release in Old Nation’s “New Orthodox” IPA series, M-43 is designed to accentuate the deep and complex character from the combination of Calypso, Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo hops. Citrus and Tropical notes of Pineapple, Mango and Grapefruit come through in the huge, yet surprisingly delicate aroma. The flavor backs these aromas with a soft, pillowy mouthfeel. Hop bitterness is not particularly intense, which leads to a very drinkable, New England IPA even non-IPA fans love. The Haze is not from yeast, but rather from an interplay of lipids from the malted oat and oils and acids which naturally occur in the hand selected Dry hops. This beer is a perfect interplay between top grade malt and hops, MI water and brewing technique which cannot be faked. Hops aren’t cheap, but M-43 is worth every penny!" Read more here!

Where distributed: Unknown, but possibly just found within Michigan.

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured a hazy peach to light orange into a pint glass. Unfiltered. Trace white head; trace lacing. 4.25/5

Smell (25%): Burst of passion fruit, pineapple, mango, and grapefruit. Extremely tropical. Creamy malt complements. 4.75/5

Taste (40%): Follows the nose; full of flavor from start to finish. Addicting. Would drink all day. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, little carbonation. Creamy, soothing, and juicy mouthfeel, some dry tongue. Slightly confused as to whether I should have experienced at least a little more carbonation here. 4.25/5

Overall (20%): An outstanding to world-class IPA. Another brewery I hadn't heard of until stumbling upon this beer and then looking up where it came from. Ridiculous amounts of tropical flavors all ideally united. Not sure if I should have expected more carbonation, or if was intentionally meant to be a low-carbonated beer that one could dangerously chug without problems. Yeah, it was expensive, but at the end of the day, it's cheaper than if I had to buy a plane ticket to get back to Michigan. Old Nation was correct, M-43 was worth every penny. 4.75/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.675/5