Firestone-Walker's "Union Jack" IPA

[lexuschris]

Firestone-Walker's "Union Jack" IPA

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I saw this bottle recently at the supermarket, and thought I'd give it a try. I've liked Firestone's double-barrel ale previously, but had not tried their other offerings.

Wow! This is a great IPA! Definitely, in my top 3. I'm still trying to cultivate my BJCP adjectives, but am nowhere near ready to try that.

I love the balance on this IPA. A strong enough malt backbone to support the hops. Definitely a heavy body & mouthfeel, which suits it well. You can tell there is some munich & a high mash temp in there.

The hop flavors tend toward citrus & pine, with a firm bite in the aftertaste (which is great after the chewy malt up-front).

I've been trying a lot of random IPAs on the shelf lately, and some hit the bitter side well enough, but without the malt support ... can be a bit rough. Not this one. Good job Mr. Firestone!

From their website:
ABV = 7.5 %
SRM = 8L
IBU = 72
Malts: 2-row, Munich, Cara-Pils, Light Crystal
Hops: Warrior & Simcoe (bittering), Cascade & Centennial (late kettle adds), Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Simcoe (dry hop)

Give it a try, and post your thoughts!
--LexusChris

[BrewMasterBrad]

This is one of my favorite IPAs as well. Very nice balance for an IPA. I first tried it at the Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego a couple years ago and I wish I found on tap more often. I highly recommed it. It's not a blow your socks off with hops IPA. It is more balanced, but still definitely an IPA.

[Marotte Brewery]

I am a big fan of this one. I even bought the T-Shirt when I was at the brewery in Paso last fall. I also seem to remember it won a bunch of awards at one of the recent competitions.

"If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up!"

[BrewMasterBrad]

"If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up!"

Thanks Ferris.

[SCBeerDude]

+1. This grew on me. I'm not a big fan of Firestone beers generally, because they are not hoppy or bitter enough for my taste, but I really like this IPA. The additional bitterness balances out the malty sweetness of their formula, IMO. O'Shea's typically has this in stock.