Long Trail IPA

The beer du jour is Long Trail IPA.  I found this one tucked way far back in my keezer -- I didn't know I had any Long Trail beers left, so that was a nice surprise.

Vittles:
English IPA
6% abv
48 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 35/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 84/100

Impression:
The head poured out alright, and it settled out with decent lacing.  The aroma smells of pine and grapefruit, but the scents are more subtle than I was expecting.  The flavors are largely of pine and grapefruit, as well, but they don't obscure the malt profile, which is nice.  It's got a little stickiness to it, but finished mostly clean and crisp, with a refreshing, citrusy aftertaste.  This is a good, solid, by-the-book English IPA, and I'd readily drink it again in the future.

Cheers!

Goose Island IPA

I can't believe how stocked my keezer is with varieties I haven't tried yet.  I'm not even sure how I got some of these beers, since I don't recognize their labels.  Since I wasn't looking for anything too different or new this time around, I opted for a Goose Island IPA, which I thought would go nicely with the chicken dish I made for dinner:

Vittles:
English IPA
5.9% abv
55 IBUs

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 36/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 87/100

Impression:
I tend to prefer English IPAs to American ones because they usually have a better balance between malt and hops flavors (the ones I've tried, at least).  This one has a nice aroma -- a bit of grapefruit, a little pine, a smidge floral, and a wee bit malty.  The aromas aren't overblown, but nicely balanced, and the flavors follow suit.  I taste a wider range of citrus flavors than I picked up on in the aroma, and it's both creamy and crisp, making this a very refreshing beer.  It seems like it's a fairly versatile beer, too, like I could enjoy this with a wide variety of foods without the flavors of the beer being masked (or vice versa).  I would definitely have this one again.

Cheers!