Boulder Beer Co. Mojo

The fourth of the Boulder Beers that I got to try was their Mojo, a 7.2% abv IPA:

Appearance: 7/10
Mojo poured a golden-straw color with little to no head and low levels of carbonation.  It's not all that appealing.  I'd probably drink this one from the bottle next time, since pouring it out doesn't really add anything to the enjoyment of the beer.

Aroma: 22/25
The aroma is very pleasant and fairly hoppy.  I picked up on pine, citrus (lemon?), and honey, with a faint hint of spiciness (cinnamon?) in the background.  The malt aromas are present but more subdued.  I could smell a mild caramel malt scent and maybe a hint of biscuit.  As the beer warmed, I could smell a little grapefruit, too.

Taste: 35/40
This is a solid IPA.  The pine, resin, citrus, and mild spice flavors come through best for me, and the honey taste is more subdued.  I also tasted some fruitiness as the beer warmed, maybe something like peach, but it was very faint.  The hop characteristics are decently complex, and the malt flavors provide a balancing backdrop, with just a slight amount of malty sweetness to offset the hop bitterness.  This isn't a very bitter beer for an IPA, but it is very tasty.  The aftertaste is also less bitter than many other IPAs.

Mouthfeel: 7/10
It's a little on the thin side, but it doesn't quite feel watery.  There's a low amount of carbonation and little alcohol warmth.  It finishes fairly crisp and dry, and the aftertaste doesn't linger overly long.

Style: 4/5
This is another tricky one.  From what I can tell, it could be either an English IPA or an American IPA.  The brewer's website is unhelpful here.  It says Mojo "was inspired by the English ... but brewed with an attitude of the great American West."  BeerAdvocate calls it an American IPA, but if that's the case, this beer's a little easy on the hops, since it's more of a balanced beer and lacks the "prominent and intense hop aroma," and it's not "decidedly hoppy and bitter" like the BJCP style guidelines specify for American IPAs.  (The BJCP style guidelines can be downloaded here.)  An English IPA, on the other hand, is expected to have less of a punch in the hop aroma department, but the expected hop flavors should be floral, grassy, earthy, etc., where Mojo is more piney, citrusy, and resiny, like you would expect from and American IPA.  In either case, it doesn't quite fit the bill, though both styles do meet nicely in this beer.

Drinkability: 8/10
I enjoyed this beer.  If I were looking for something with a good but not overpowering hop presence, I'd get this again.  It went very well with the marinated and grilled portobello mushrooms I made.  Nice and smooth beverage to enjoy with a meal.

Overall: 83/100

If you enjoy the very powerful IPAs (think Sierra Nevada Hoptimum or Green Flash Palate Wrecker), you might not be impressed with this beer.  I like it for it's balance and for the smoother hop flavors.  I like that it doesn't coat my tongue with an overly bitter, acrid, or lingering aftertaste, but it would be better with a bit more of a full-bodied mouthfeel, I think.  It could also stand to be a wee bit more bitter, since it is an IPA, after all.

I'm always happy when I get to pick up a sampler or when I can fill up a mix & match sixer with beers I've never tried before.  I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I like to try at least one new beer each month, and I think I've already blown that number out of the water this year.  It's a good year for beer.  Cheers!