Fort George Fanzine IPA (2021 Version)

Beer Name: Fanzine
Brewery: Fort George Brewery (Astoria, OR) in collaboration with Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR)
ABV: 6.7%

How sold: 16 oz tallboy cans; on draft
Where bought: Unknown
Price: Unknown, gift from a friend

Date Canned: March 9, 2021
Date Drank: May 15, 2021
When brewed? Limited-time spring seasonal beer. Fort George collaborates with a brewer each year to make Fanzine. The 2021 version was with Great Notion. In 2020, it was with Grains of Wrath in Camas.

What's on the Website: "For this year's spring seasonal, we teamed up with our buddies at Great Notion in Portland. Dry-hopped with a mix of traditional & newer varieties, the light grain bill allows those hops to shine. A wonderful blast of mango, pine, and tangerine tickles your nose, followed by a heavy dose of citrus & melon flavor. The bitterness appears about halfway through each sip, leaving the tiniest tingle on your tongue."

Where distributed: Fort George generally distributes just in the Pacific Northwest.

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured clear golden into a pint glass. White head, virtually no lacing. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Balanced pine, grapefruit citrus, and melon with complementing hop-dank experience. 4.5/5

Taste (40%): Pine and grapefruit citrus initially, followed by a wave of hop bitterness. Aftertaste features citrus peel and complementing melon. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, some carbonation. Some juiciness and only trace dry tongue. 4.5/5

Overall (20%): An outstanding IPA. Fortunate to get my hands on this collab from two of my favorite Oregon breweries. This year's Fanzine has a wonderful balance of hop. pine, dank, and fruit. In a way, the first part of this IPA reminds me of beers like Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig (piney and citrus), but the finish here is more citrus-forward and not as bitter. Just pass me the pretzels, chips, and popcorn, and I'm set. 4.5/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.5/5