Integrity IPA
Integrity IPA is too fresh a beer. Not just a beer that's "too fresh," but an IPA -- I've lost my mind. The Amarillo single-hopping is a bright idea -- small production hop that seems to be the lastest thing with beers like Gumballhead leading the way. It reminds people of Cascades, but it isn't quite so loud. A delicate hop with a clear relationship to the booming West coast pale ale scene, it's a way to reach new ground over a long-trodden path. But as Amarillo is more delicate, it is also more dull than hops like Cascade and Centennial. It works well on its own, but needs a supporting cast for it is young and naive without the confidence to make it in this world. Where am I getting this from? From tasting Integrity whose thin malt profile and Good Housekeeping award-worthy PacMan yeast leaves nothing but the Amarillos, confused in their bittering and flavor. From taste and smell, the light lemon tips us off to this relatively distinct hop, but the finish is of raw hop pellets. And once you've chewed on a hop for a while, it loses all of its flavor becoming not exactly bitter, but more piney and herbal than you'd expect. It's why we don't eat hops; the different varieties wouldn't be nearly as complex as they are with timed boil additions. All we get here is a chewed-on hop, spit into the kettle and filtered out. Relax, relax. ng