117. Elysian The Immortal IPA

From the Elysian Brewing Company in Seattle, WA.

Immortal IPA starts with a bready, biscuity, and lightly toasted malt nose mixed with some sweetness and light floral hop aromas. The cloudy copper body and creamy white head reveal a subtle sweetness and a bready malt flavor to start. The middle is characterized by a well-sized but balanced bitterness with floral and citrus flavors, and finish is dry with some biscuit notes and a relatively clean and pleasant bitterness. Immortal IPA has a medium body with a creamy and chewy mouthfeel, lively carbonation, and a well-suited slight drying on the tongue. An excellent and enjoyable beer; it is well balanced between maltiness and hop bitterness, and has a well developed chewy mouthfeel. This beer is also a good example of the possibilities available in mixing English and American IPA styles—the malt body has bready & toasty sweetness (English), but also a large dose of hops across the beer profile (American)—the hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma work well, although it could use a bit more hop aroma. The label, however, is kinda chumpy. I know they're playing off of Zeus and Greek gods and all, but overly-muscly steroid monster looking Greek gods are kinda creepy.

From the bottle: “A beautiful blend of hops and malts, the Immortal IPA is a Northwest interpretation of a classic English style, golden copper in color and loaded with New World hop flavor and aroma.”

From the Elysian website: “Refers to Zeus, supreme ruler of Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided there.”

ABV: 6.3%
IBU: 42

OG: 1.063

Malts: Pale, Munich, Crystal and Cara-hell

Hops: Chinook, Amarillo, and Centennial

According to the label, this beer was brewed for Elysian Brewing Company by New Belgium Brewing.

(10/25/2009)