OK, Ok, you’re probably sick of me saying this, but I think whoever it is out there spreading lies about hoppy beers not ageing well just needs to stop. It’s not true, and I take great glee every time I point out that India Pale Ales were designed to age on a long ocean journey from Burton to Bombay. Greater glee indeed comes when I get to prove the point as I’m doing tonight with my can of Pursuit India Pale Ale from the Half Full brewery of Stamford, Connecticut.
I can’t buy Half Full beers here in Georgia, but I got a can from Beer Santa (as the one and only Beer Whisperer termed him), Erik Bierbiker. Erik travels the country on his motorcycle, bringing beer to all the good old boys and girls wherever he goes, and if that’s not Beer Santa, I don’t know what is. Anyway, Erik brought me some beers last spring, one of which was Pursuit IPA which was been in my beer fridge ever since.
From the can label:
In pursuit of passion
…of a bright idea
That matters so much it moves you to act
Our Pursuit is
A nonstop adventure:
Ditched stable jobs
To draft a plan,
Gather a crew to
Convert an old factory,
Built and became Half Full.
And we’ve only just begun.
Half full Pursuit IPA,
The perfect inspirational
Pairing for whenever
You find yourself
In pursuit of passion
How poetic. Anyway, Half Full Pursuit India Pale Ale has an alcohol content of 7% with 40 IBUs. My can was packaged on 12/05/2014 and I drank it on October 4th of 2015.
Half Full Pursuit India Pale Ale pours to a bright orange color with a thick creamy head of unruly foam and an inviting citrusy orange juice nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a full caramel malt body up front followed by loads of citrusy, slightly resiny hops leading into a drying herbal long lingering bitterness.
I’ll say it again: who says you can’t age an IPA? This one is ten months young currently, and I’m loving the emergence of the caramel malt and the increasingly orange citric hops. This beer is still exploding with aromatic, bitter hops and I am really, really enjoying it right now.
Do hoppy beers age well? They sure can, and I can tell you that in the case of Half Full Pursuit India Pale Ale, it sure did.
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