Fort George Focus West Coast IPA (Comet Hop Variant)

Beer Name: Focus (Comet Hop Variant)
Brewery: Fort George Brewery (Astoria, OR)
ABV: 6.5%

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

Date Canned: August 23, 2023
Date Drank: November 18, 2023
When brewed? Limited-time fall seasonal beer. Collaboration with Crosby Hop Farms.

What's on the Website: "If you’re friends with a geologist, you know they are going to occasionally give you some choice samples of porphyritic amygdaloidal basalt they found on a hike. Well, when you’re friends with a hop farm, it’s much the same. But with cool new hop products.

FOCUS is a collaboration with Crosby Hop Farms, focusing in on their choicest Estate Grown hops and new CGX Lupulin Pellets. Bright fruit flavor and a hint of honey sweetness balance the zesty tropical flavor of Comet CGX, Amarillo, and Motueka Hops. FOCUS is available this fall in 16 oz 4-packs all over the PNW."

Hops: Simcoe, Comet, Strata Goo, Motueka, Amarillo, Comet CGX

Malts: Rahr Pilsner, Breiss Flaked Rice, GM Flaked Wheat

Yeast: London 2 ESB

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

REVIEW:

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

Smell (25%): Mix of sweet citrus and dank hop. As the beer warms, more of the citrus and honey come through. 4.5/5

Taste (40%): Largely pine hoppy dank to start, then escalating citrus throughout the drinking experience. More citrus on the aftertaste. Sweet honey helps offset so that it's not overly bitter. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, some carbonation. Some dry tongue. 4.25/5

Overall (20%): An excellent IPA. Typical bitter West Coast IPA qualities, but offset by some sweet honey notes. Pleasing overall. Before I knew it, I had drank the entire glass. Fort George musta done something right. 4.25/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.325/5