Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Beer Review: Burning Bush (4 month old can)

Reviewing Burning Bush from Golden Road Brewing out of Los Angeles, California. The can informs that this beer as a "smoked IPA."

Score: 77

Canned on 09/27/12. Served in a regular ol' glass with a tulip-style opening at the top and enjoyed on 02/21/12.

Appearance: Pours a translucent amber color with a finger of off-white head that settles to thin dusting atop the brew. Poor lacing and retention. 3/5

Smell: Smoke, caramel malt, orange peel, stale piney hops. Smells like an old IPA with a good malt backbone and a nice smokiness. 3.5/5

Taste: Tastes just like the nose, but with more of a "stale IPA" flavor and less of the "good kind" of malt. Lots of stale, orangey malt. The smokiness shines in the finish, but it's not strong enough to overpower the maltiness. There seems to be a little oakiness present too, but maybe that is just my brain playing with my associative memory. 3/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, lower carbonation than expected. Very malty with a little sweetness. Nice smokey prickle on the tongue. 3/5

Overall: The uniqueness of this IPA does not save it from it's stale IPA character because the maltiness is not akin to something like Double Crooked Tree. The smokiness is a nice unique quality, and I would like to try to revisit this fresh. For now, however, I will stick to the Cedar Aged Jai Alai if I want a stale IPA with a grace-saving uniqueness.

Cost: $8.99 for a four pack of 16 oz cans.

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