Feature Beer Friday! - Schlafly A IPA

Alright, this one isn't available in Baton Rouge... or even all that close to here, but if you're ever traveling up to St. Louis you'll find Schlafly to be plentiful, and since we had a few we decided to give it a try and feature it as one of our feature beers.  Schlafly is the largest craft brewery in AB dominated St. Louis, and all that I've had from them before has been very good, so I had hopes for this one too. 

This beer is their "A IPA" which stands for American IPA and it's their Spring special release.  It comes in at 7.2% abv and 65 IBU, so it's approaching the line between an IPA and an Imperial IPA, which is generally considered to be 7.5%.  In keeping with the "American" name the beer uses three American hops, Amarillo, Simcoe, and Centennial in both the boil and in dry-hopping.  Simcoe is one of my favorite hops to brew with, so that already has me excited! 

Reviewers: Eric Ducote (BR Beer Scene), Jay Ducote (Bite And Booze), James Lawson  (Whiskeybomb.com), and Charles (BigMouthPodcast.com).

Serving: 12 oz. brown bottle.

Appearance: Deep gold, white head, a bit hazy.

Aroma: Nice hop aroma, citrus and a little pine.  Charles thought it has a very pleasing citrus aroma, and Jay picked up some grapefruit.

Taste: Jay described it as "fruity and balanced" and I think it really had a great hop profile without getting overpowering.

Mouthfeel: Slightly bitter aftertaste... but it is an IPA after all. 

Overall: We all enjoyed this example of the American IPA style, with Jay even proclaiming that he could drink a keg. Keep him away from backwards bead-toss bets!  In my opinion this is one of the better examples of an American IPA out there, and if I'm ever in St. Louis and I see it on tap, I know what my first order will be.

Overall Rating: 75
My Rating: 76