"Twenty years ago Highland opened its doors in a town otherwise bereft of breweries. Our name anchors us here. "Highland" honors Asheville's Scots Irish heritage. With another nod to local history, we present our limited edition 20th Anniversary American India Pale Ale, the third of four in a bottled series.
Hop-forward, yet balanced by a strong malt foundation, this ale pours deep golden in color. Two experimental hop varieties, currently named EXP-05256 and EXP-07270, as well as Amarillo, lend notes of citrus and tropical fruits and lead to a pleasant bitter finish."
Hey y'all. I've been drinking, just haven't had much time for blogging. Figured I'd take the opportunity to churn one out while I have a little bit of peace and quiet. Now that I'm juggling a couple of kids, peace and quiet is very limited. No complaints from me though, glad to be a parent.
I know that IPAs should be enjoyed fresh. I have a few IPAs that I've had for a couple of years. I just end up not in the mood for an IPA and it sits. And sits. And sits. So even though this bad boy was bottled on 9/9/14, I'm just getting around to drinking it over two years later.
The beer was poured into a Dogfish Head IPA glass. It has a more amber/orange color to it. One and a half fingers of off-white sea foam like head, leaving lacy splotches all over the sides of the glass and a film at the surface. Aromas of malt, raisin, resin are predominant.
The malt base of the beer is certainly on the sweet side, something I'd be more used to when dealing with a higher gravity IPA. At 6.0% ABV, this is just your standard IPA. Along with the taste of malt and brown sugar, there's a little bit of pine and fig. The bitter finish is still there, although perhaps not as prominent as it could be if consumed fresh. Aftertaste lingers a little bit, but it's not overpowering. Slick on the tongue but not too oily. Beer is lightly carbonated, if a little flat, probably another consequence of drinking a beer too late.
Even though it shows it's age, I didn't hate the beer. It certainly wasn't a drain pour for me. And while I've been more than guilty of not finishing off my beers, especially my bombers, I can confidently say that I took care of this one. Ultimately though, it's just okay, nothing overly memorable about it. I reckon I should try Highland's standard IPA offering and compare against this one.
Grade: C
Price Paid: $8.99 (22 oz bomber)
