Strong offering from the East Coast of a PNW IPA. Pine resin, lingering dank bitterness that won’t quit. 3.5/5 stars.
This beer was the final selection in the Brewvana Twelve Beers of Christmas box.
Northwest or Pacific Northwest IPAs have an immediately definable characteristic. They taste like pine trees. Makes sense, right? The great coniferous forests are a well-known feature of this region, iconic even. It’s lovely to hike here and smell the dry, resinous scent of evergreen trees. The air just smells… clean. It’s so different from the smell of deciduous forests where I grew up. There, the air smells heavy and full of decaying plant matter. Full of life. Not to say that coniferous forests smell sterile or lifeless! You just know in a deciduous forest that things are alive (until the snow falls, anyway!).
So, where does that smell come from, and how do you get it in beer? The answer, my friend, is terpenes. Hops and conifers both contain this compound, which among other things makes a smell. Certain hops contain terpenes that smell like pine trees (other hop aromas could be floral, citrus, or many others!). Now, why do they both smell “clean” but the hops taste dank? Wouldn’t it make more sense for a piney beer to taste fresh and clean? Since I haven’t eaten a conifer (chewing on toothpicks doesn’t count), I can’t attest that conifer terpenes taste different from piney hop terpenes. Maybe they do! All I know is that the hops used in this style of IPA consistently provide a thick, resinous bitter flavor that goes on for days. The kind of bitter that makes my mouth dry out and my teeth ache.
All-in-all, I’d rather have a nice clean Pilsner while hiking through a pine forest.
The Corruption by DC Brau Brewing
A Beer a Day 