rough waters

Well, I can pick up another American beer after such a short time, can't I?  In honor of the heat wave.  Everybody suffers together!  But Anchor's Baykeeper IPA looks like the kind of beer that would help you tolerate those high temperatures, with the cool blues of the label and notoriously chilly San Francisco Bay featured.  I hope it works, I'm stewing in my own juices over here.

Hoppy, piney aroma, very snappy and invigorating.  Kind of like some of those energizing spritzes.  Cool, cloudy golden color, crowned by fine, white fizz.  It's definitely summery; there's also that tropical note in the scent, more of a sweet mandarin than mango, though.  Much more bitter in flavor than in smell, but there's also a sweet bit flowing under the bitter.  That sweetness is not so citrusy as the aroma, but still has a fruitiness to it.  The bitter part is resistant, hanging around on the back of the tongue for a while.  I find it refreshing and quite a pick-me-up.  I was a little afraid of it being cloying or too heavy, but it's a very light and easy brew, goes right down without residue, just an echo of bitter.  I don't actually feel much cooler - that's what you'll get with a high alcohol IPA - but I do feel more energized.  I'd say the Baykeeper has done its job today.

Supplier: Heneket
Price: €4.15