Beer Review: White Rajah

Reviewing the White Rajah from The Brew Kettle Production Works. I had this beer a couple of months ago for the first time, but that bottle was noticeably stale.
Score: 91

No freshness date on the bottle, which is never good for IPA's. When I talked to someone from The Brew Kettle Production Works about this a couple of months ago, they said that adding freshness codes to their bottles was on their list of things to do. Served in a Surly Darkness snifter and enjoyed 03/28/12.

Appearance: Pours a consistent, translucent orangeish honey color with a finger of frothy white head that settles into a thick ring around the glass and thin film of head across the top of the beer. Above average lacing, excellent retention. 4.5/5

Smell: Orange rind, sweet citrus, fresh grass, pine, pineapple, lemon and tangerine. Orange juice, peach, pineapple juice and light caramel malt in the background. 4/5

Taste: Substantially better than the stale bottle I had! Sweet and slightly spicy citrus, hoppy orange and bitter lemon upfront. Earthy hops, bitter orange, pine and a little apricot/pear/peach flavor throughout. Sweet caramel malt, orange juice and pineapple juice backbone. The hops flavors are a lot earthier and there is a lot less of the bright tropical fruit and fresh pine that usually define citra hopped beers (e.g., Heady Topper, Zombie Dust, Anti-Hero IPA, Flower Power, etc.). Very balanced and refreshing. Finishes with a bitter, hoppy orange rind flavor. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium-plus carbonation. Oily, juicy mouthfeel. Bitter finish. 4/5

Overall: A solid, tasty and refreshing IPA that does not live up to the hype. Flower Power was better. I did enjoy the beer, though. It just was not worth the hassle of hunting down when Zombie Dust is being distributed in my backyard.

Recommendation: Worth seeking out, but not worth going too far out of your way to acquire if you have not had Flower Power, Heady Topper or Zombie Dust yet. Hop haters be warned, this one is decently bitter. I find IPAs to be a poor starting point in the craft beer for casual beer drinkers, but if you want to try an IPA, this one is a very true-to-style tasting brew. If you do seek this beer out, make sure you get a fresh one.

Pairings: Cheese curds.

Cost: $10.99 for a six pack.