Day 253: Sink or Swim IPA (Homebrew)

Name: Sink or Swim IPA

Brewer: Big-Eared Dog Brewery (Matt & Anna's House)

Classification: American IPA

Alcohol: ?

Thoughts: So Big-Eared Dog Brewery, otherwise known as my friend Matt, is making their second round on The Beer Year. I asked what he planned to name the beer and his wife Anna jumped in and said Sink or Swim. Matt was unsure about it, but he didn't come up with anything better so I am using Sink or Swim. This time he made an American IPA. It poured a much darker brown color than I would have expected from an IPA with a sliver-thin, off-white head. The nose was pretty solid with some notes of piney hops and rich, full malts. In addition to the hops and the malts there was a sweet character to it that led into the taste quite nicely. I asked Matt if he had added any fruit to it and he said there were oak chips added somewhere in the brewing process. The oak chips really put a different twist on this beer both through the aroma and the flavor. The taste also consisted of raw grain, a piney sharpness and some bitterness. The finish was not all that dry and lacked any alcoholic warming. To some this may indicate a lack of hops, but to me it indicated a well-balanced IPA that did nothing out of the ordinary. This combined with the oakiness made for an interesting experience that made me glad he left some extra bottles at my house. In return I gave Matt a bottle of my homebrew that he will be reviewing soon. So be on the lookout for that!

Rating: 83/100