mysterious

Alright then, let's have another pale ale, or more precisely, RIPA.  I guess that isn't a real repeat for this calendar.  The label looks so familiar, I have the sensation that I have done Jack the RIPA before, but it doesn't come up.  Maybe I only thought about it in the store and then grabbed a stout instead.  Anyway, it is Guineu, so trustworthy brewers, and it's a dark idea even if the beer is on the lighter side.  I could have chosen it for a Hallowe'en special.

It's darker orange than plenty of normal IPAs, a little more along the lines of an imperial.  There's a very bouncy citrus aroma from this one.  As for taste, it's extra bitter rather than extra orangey, but it's that pleasant IPA style.  It's a deep, rounded bottom kind of flavor, making me think of grapefruit without the actual taste of it.  After it settles down a little there is more citrus on the tongue, but the overall effect is still very bitter-hoppy.  

better than gold

On the fifth day of Beermas I picked out for me
One secret promise
A possibly chatty barnyard animal
A random French reference
A bird that's not a pigeon
And a flamingo with mangoes and beets

At first I thought it was the beer that was the Golden Promise, but it turns out it's the brewery.  This RIPA is actually Best Secret.  Name still works, though.  Interestingly, the brewery is based in Queens, but as one of those "nomad" breweries they actually get their stuff made all over the place.  This one looks like it was made in Zaragoza.

A good whiff of IPA comes out when the cap comes off.  It's dark gold, a little cloudy, good head, very fluffy.  The taste is pretty grainy, a little sweet.  Kind of a bitter aftertaste, but not too much.  There's also a little sour hiding in there, something mildly citrusy.  It feels a little dusty, like some unfiltered brews can be.  It doesn't claim to be unfiltered, although it has the look as well.  It's a fairly heavy feel for an IPA, maybe the rye makes gives it more weight, and it feels just fine for early winter evenings.

Supplier: Cervecissimus
Price: €3.40