- Product Reviewed: Immortal IPA
- Brewed By: Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, USA
- Form Reviewed: Draft at Brewpub
- Date Reviewed: July 1996, July 1998, October, 2001
- Style: American IPA
- Added to the Tasting Notebook: August 2, 2002
Initial Impressions:
Yesterday, I discovered all my old tasting notebooks, which includes slightly over half of the notes I have taken on beers in the past ten years. In addition, I have been staring at these notes I took on the Elysian IPA this past October, on one of my recent visits home. I am remiss for not having reviewed an Elysian beer -- especially the brilliant IPA -- in the past. I intend to correct that oversight here.
Elysian is one of my favorites. The brewpub opened in 1996 on Seattle's Capitol Hill (1221 East Pike to be exact). The head brewer (and part owner), Dick Cantwell, has been one of my favorites as well over the years. His c.v. includes stints as an assistant at the Pike Place Brewery (when they were good), head brewer at my local, the Big Time, which he left in 1996 to pursue the Elysian venture. Everywhere he has gone, the beers have been excellent, and he is gracious enough to be the first to point out that he has had some class help in establishing this track record along the way.
This review of the Immortal IPA is based on notes from July 1996, July 1998, and October, 2001. Remarkably, the notes are consistent in description, and the scores are two 4.5's and one 4. The first set of notes were from a pint off the conditioning tank, following an interview I conducted with Dick when I was researching my boorishly long and not terribly path breaking piece on American IPA that appeared in Brewing Techniques later that year. The others are from repeated visits to the brewpub (which now distributes kegged product throughout Seattle.)
The beer clocks in at 1.063, right in there in strength for an AIPA. It is pale in color, pushing a light copper. Typically, this beer is bright, with a modest white head.
Nose:
Cantwell likes to speak of the "New World" hops, a line that I have lifted and used hence. These hops, often Cascades (see Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Anchor's Liberty for an introduction), Centennial, Chinook, or Columbus, have variations on a citrusy profile. Some have a greater bitterness (e.g. Chinook, Columbus), while others might have more grapefruit (Cascade perhaps), but they are distinct from the more familiar hops of the UK or the continent.
As I've argued here and elsewhere, the distinctive mark of the new beer styles on the West Coast of the United States is the liberal use of these hops in their ales. While some would argue that these hops are over-used, they're missing the point; the distinct profiles of these beers is a result of using the indigenous ingredients. These are innovative beer styles that have evolved organically, not as a result of focus groups, marketing surveys, or accounting tricks.
As expected, this beer has a massive hop aroma that places these New World varieties front and center. A citrusy hop aroma dominates the nose, with enough hints at malt to suggest that the backbone of this beer will be more than adequate to deal with the hop character.
Flavor:
As suggested, the malt backbone makes itself present initially, with the first flavor being a straightforward maltiness. The hops are not to be left out for long, though, as a hop flavor quickly becomes evident. While clearly one of the four C's, the hop flavor is not as overwhelmingly dominated by citrus as say cross town rival Big Time's Bhagwan's Best. I suspect that this has to do with a broader malt base on which the Elysian beer rests. The beer finishes with a nice, resiny bitterness that is consistent with what one expects from this style.
Final Analysis:
An excellent AIPA. Perhaps not as top as the Anderson Valley IPA (when it is on), though the Elysian beer certainly gives AV a run for its money. If you like a real IPA, you will not go wrong with this beer.
Rating:
(Quite excellent on my 5-star scale)
