Spring Break
Brews Clues
This week's ale: Wild Goose IPA
By: Dennis Mongello
Issue date: 6/29/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Originally published: 6/29/07 at 12:00 AM EST
Last update: 6/29/07 at 12:00 AM EST
Originally published: 6/29/07 at 12:00 AM EST
Last update: 6/29/07 at 12:00 AM EST
If you are ever driving southbound 95 through Maryland, you might happen to come upon signs for a city called Frederick. I wonder if it was named after someone named Frederick, but given the shock I felt when I found out that Chevy Chase, Md. has no connection to the actor/landshark of the same name, I'll suspend my curiosity for the time being. Regardless of for whom the town was named for, there is a brewery there named for the wild goose, and Wild Goose IPA is the subject for this week's Brews Clues.
So what exactly is an IPA? It's a pale ale fortified with extra hops, which was historically used to help keep beer fresh when shipped from England to India. The hops acted as a preservative, but the unexpected side effect from the extra hops was a stronger (in terms of alcohol content), more bitter beer. Of course, now that we have refrigeration, brewers don't need to add extra hops to preserve the beer, however, they still want them to increase the ABV and give a distinctive flavor to the beverage.
Wild Goose IPA pours a murky copper with a thin, just off-white head that dissipates quickly to leave behind minimal lacing. It looks just a tad darker than most other IPAs. It also appears that there is some particulate floating around in the glass, but that might just be carbonation bubbles since it is rare to find an unfiltered IPA. As you drink it, the aroma is ripe with malty hops and faint citrus notes.
The taste of this beer is much like any other East Coast IPA. IPAs along the Atlantic are a little more drinkable than their west coast counterparts, which tend to focus more on the bitterness and carbonation. This beer is comparable to Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA, but it's just overall more mild. It is clearly a beer overpowered with hops and gives a crisp, dry aftertaste, but it's just not as bitter as any other IPA I've come across. It seems like other flavors are present given the faint sweetness, but the exact seasonings are indistinguishable against the strength of the hops.
The beer is well carbonated and not very heavy. It's good for enjoying at a nice summertime barbecue. Usually, IPAs match well with spicy food and fried foods. However, this one in particular could match well with a wider variety of foods, given its mildness. It is the most drinkable IPA I've had. Normally, that's a good thing, but when I want an IPA, I want a stronger taste. I want my tongue to know it's drinking a hopped-up concoction engineered to be stronger than the average beer.
Overall, I'd put Wild Goose IPA in beer purgatory. It's just not bitter enough to stand up to other IPAs, but at the same time, it's too bitter to be put into the same class as other pale ales, like Rolling Rock. Maybe it's good for people who are just bored with regular ales but don't have the palette to enjoy an IPA. If there's nothing else available, it's worth a try. It's not exactly humdrum, but just don't expect anything spectacular.
So what exactly is an IPA? It's a pale ale fortified with extra hops, which was historically used to help keep beer fresh when shipped from England to India. The hops acted as a preservative, but the unexpected side effect from the extra hops was a stronger (in terms of alcohol content), more bitter beer. Of course, now that we have refrigeration, brewers don't need to add extra hops to preserve the beer, however, they still want them to increase the ABV and give a distinctive flavor to the beverage.
Wild Goose IPA pours a murky copper with a thin, just off-white head that dissipates quickly to leave behind minimal lacing. It looks just a tad darker than most other IPAs. It also appears that there is some particulate floating around in the glass, but that might just be carbonation bubbles since it is rare to find an unfiltered IPA. As you drink it, the aroma is ripe with malty hops and faint citrus notes.
The taste of this beer is much like any other East Coast IPA. IPAs along the Atlantic are a little more drinkable than their west coast counterparts, which tend to focus more on the bitterness and carbonation. This beer is comparable to Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA, but it's just overall more mild. It is clearly a beer overpowered with hops and gives a crisp, dry aftertaste, but it's just not as bitter as any other IPA I've come across. It seems like other flavors are present given the faint sweetness, but the exact seasonings are indistinguishable against the strength of the hops.
The beer is well carbonated and not very heavy. It's good for enjoying at a nice summertime barbecue. Usually, IPAs match well with spicy food and fried foods. However, this one in particular could match well with a wider variety of foods, given its mildness. It is the most drinkable IPA I've had. Normally, that's a good thing, but when I want an IPA, I want a stronger taste. I want my tongue to know it's drinking a hopped-up concoction engineered to be stronger than the average beer.
Overall, I'd put Wild Goose IPA in beer purgatory. It's just not bitter enough to stand up to other IPAs, but at the same time, it's too bitter to be put into the same class as other pale ales, like Rolling Rock. Maybe it's good for people who are just bored with regular ales but don't have the palette to enjoy an IPA. If there's nothing else available, it's worth a try. It's not exactly humdrum, but just don't expect anything spectacular.
