Fort George Fresh Wet IPA: This beer was brewed in Astoria, Oregon to a strength of 6.4% abv using Yakima Valley, WA fresh Mosaic hops from Loftus Ranches. Honestly, this wasn’t easy to track down as the limited supply that was sent to Washington State was quickly bought up by any fresh hop fan, so I was lucky enough to get a couple cans and give it a try.
Aroma and Appearance: The beer pours a clear honey golden colour with two fingers of foam and an average level of carbonation.The aroma (which can be smelled as soon as you open the can) has a tropical fruit forward aroma of papaya and passion fruit with some subtle lemon citrus, biscuit malt and caramel sweetness on the side.
Flavour: It starts out with some subdued dry biscuit malts, fresh papaya and apricots that seem to hang around up front to make their presence known before a massive orange juice and essence of orange hop oil blast takes over in the middle of the beer. Once the shock of the surprising middle flavours wear off, a soft grapefruit and peach skin bitterness takes over as the beer goes down, allowing a resinous and dry aftertaste to form in your throat.
Overall Impression: Fort George is one of those breweries that is really starting to make its self very well known in the marketplace. I have really enjoyed their offerings lately, they seem to show off a lot of brewing innovation while delivering a consistently great product at a nice price.
Rating: I give it an excellent rating of 8.5/10, a great fresh hop beer to experience that I hope they make more of next year.
Food Pairing: I suggest this one on its own, just let the hops flow through you!
The brewery must have smelled amazing on brew day, look at all these fresh hops just siting there waiting to be added to the kettle! Be sure to check out their Facebook Page and Like it in order to stay in touch with their seasonal releases and other happenings.
West Coast Beer Geek 