Ah, beer hunting. You yield such wonderful bounties, yet often leave us with such regrets. This was certainly the case with the Captain’s Daughter, a double IPA from the Grey Sail Brewing Company of Westerly. Rhode Island. I only bought a single of this lovely beer; when I got it home and popped the can I wished that I had bought a six-pack. That’s the rub, though, there’s only so much space in the trunk, and only so much beer one can drink to boot.
The captain’s daughter is, in nautical terms, a euphemism for the cat o’ nine tails; trust me when I say you’d rather be on the receiving end of a Grey Sail Captain’s Daughter. On another note, The Captain’s Daughter is also a terrific novel by Alexander Pushkin which I’ve read several times and definitely suggest. Perhaps with a Captain’s Daughter in hand?
From the brewery website:
Our newest year-round is an Imperial India Pale Ale brewed with high-quality pilsner malt and flaked oats, making this beer light in color but certainly not in body or alcohol content. It is aggressively hopped with Mosaics out of the Pacific Northwest, giving the Captain’s Daughter a strong aroma and flavor of tropical and stone fruits.
Grey Sail Brewing Captain’s Daughter has an alcohol content of 8.5% by volume with 69 IBUs. It was running $9.99 a six-pack and is made with Citra hops in addition to the Mosaics the brewery mentions above.
Grey Sail Brewing Captain’s Daughter pours to a pale straw color with a vibrant passion fruit and pineapple nose and a light creamy head formation. Taking a sip, the beer has a light maltiness up front followed by an explosive hoppiness with notes of bright citrus, pineapple, orange, and passion fruit all followed up by a massive long dry herbal bitterness. I get just a hint of resin and more alcohol warmth in the finish, too.
Normally I prefer classic piney resiny DIPAs, but this one is extremely well done and very impressive indeed. It is a bit out of balance toward the hop, but there is at least some supporting malt underneath. I’ll definitely buy this beer again the next time I’m in Rhode Island.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft