Review: Big Boss IPA

This beer is the first of seven beers provided by Ben and company at SevenPack.net. I've been curious about North Carolina brewing for a while and was glad to try some regional beers. Decided to try the gorilla first.

Brewery: Edenton Brewing Company
Brewery Location: Raleigh (eastern North Carolina)
Beer: Big Boss IPA
BJCP Style: 14B. American IPA
Serving: Bottle

Appearance: Reddish straw, the color of amber malt; low white head; overall, somewhat cloudy

Smell: Huge citrus hops

Taste: Hops! Even more hops than the nose suggests--big full citrusy hops give it a bright, fresh flavor; malt build behind hops is tasty, but is buried below the huge hop taste--perhaps a bit much for my taste

Mouthfeel: Tart

Drinkability: I had been hoping for a hop monster when I popped this open (I mean, really, what else would a stoggie-smoking gorilla denote?) and I got it. However, I wish there was a tad more of the malt to round the beer out a bit more--it's so hoppy that it teeters on being one-dimensional. It's a good, solid beer, but just shy of being a giant, great beer.

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