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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

243. Highland Mandarina IPA


"An adventure-loving and aromatic citrus IPA.  Brewed with nuanced German Mandarina Bavaria and Hull Melon hops and bold juicy American oranges, expect intense orange and tropical notes and a crisp, bright finish.  This one is a palate-pleaser!

Highland's name honors the Scots Irish who settled in the Appalachian mountains.  Founded in 1994, we are Asheville's first legal brewery since Prohibition."

Holy crap, I still exist?  I do!  I haven't done a lot of buying or drinking lately as I've needed to cull my inventory a wee bit.  I also was forced on a month long diet where I could not have beer.  And now I've decided to get in shape and run half-marathons, which means that I may drink less.  Lastly, I've got kids and they aren't cheap, which means I have less to fuel my hobbies.  It is what it is, but I will try to do better about posting my fun little tasting exploits.

Right now in front of me is Highland's Mandarina IPA, which is sitting in a Dogfish Head IPA glass.  I know I don't have a post where I mentioned where it came from, but I got a mix-six pack from Lowes Foods, with the plan to get more blonde colored beer since most of my stash is dark.  It poured a nice golden orange color with a finger of white head.  A thick ring of lacing and a thin layer of film is settled down.  Citrusy aromas of orange is prevalent, along with pineapple, a little bit of pine, and butter.

The taste doesn't punch you in the mouth, which was what I typically expect in an IPA.  The orange is more in the nose than in the taste.  It's pretty mild and more akin to orange peel than oranges.  There's a touch of sweetness and a light bitter finish which reminds me more of a pale ale than an IPA.  Light bodied with medium to high carbonation, it's zesty like a soda.  

If this is an IPA, it's definitely tailored to being more sessionable.  At 5.0% ABV, I reckon I'm right.  Definitely appealing, I can see myself having a couple of these on a hot summer day.  Excuse me while I finish the rest.

Grade: B
Price Paid: $1.67 (12 oz can)

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