The rage over so-called “session IPAs” continues folks, but finally I’ve found one that I can wrap my arms around: Smuttynose Bouncy House IPA. Well, maybe half way around to be completely honest. Confused? Allow me to explain. Session IPAs really aren’t IPAs at all, nor are they session beers. It’s a pet peeve of mine that they are so named, though not one that keeps me from enjoying them from time to time.

Kudos to Smuttynose for not calling Bouncy House a “Session IPA”, though they do still call it an IPA. They also call it an “All-Ocassion American Ale” on the label, which I kind of like. So see? Only half a transgression. Anyway, those that know beer are well aware session beers are 4% and under, and you can’t have an IPA at 4% or so, so how can you have a session IPA? You can’t. You get a hoppy American Pale Ale instead.

I’ll cut Smuttynose some slack, though, since it’s their 20^th anniversary (they were founded in 1994) and since they just built a beautiful new brewhouse in Hampton, New Hampshire. Still, that won’t stop me from having some fun with the name. Remember that bouncy house that got blown away in May of 2014? A freak gust of wind lifted it 50 feet in the air with two kids inside; luckily they were not seriously hurt. Anyway, the “session IPA” is a lot like that house, because it doesn’t have enough substance to hold it down. Meaning, I want some malt in my beer, otherwise why not just suck on a fresh hop cone?

Smuttynose says of Bouncy House IPA on its website:

Bouncy House, Smuttynose’s newest year-round beer, is an all-occasion, sessionable IPA brewed for maximum drinkability and merry-making. This pale golden ale’s subtle malt body puts crisp hop flavor front and center and allows its dry-hopped fragrance to shine.

Ingredients:

Malt Bill: North American 2-Row, Crisp Pale, Crystal 60, Aromatic, CaraHell

Hops:

Bittering - Magnum

Flavoring - Calypso

Dry Hops - Calypso, Saphir

Yeast: Chico

Smuttynose Bouncy House IPA has several labels it seems, and my six-pack came with two different ones which you can see in my photo. It has an alcohol content of 4.3% and 86 IBUs. That’s a lot of IBUs for a beer with this little body. My bottle says it is best by 11/29/2014.

Smuttynose Bouncy House IPA pours to a bright golden color with a thick fluffy head and a vibrant resiny hop nose. A thick layer of Brussels lace forms on the sides of my glass and follows the liquid right to the bottom. Taking a sip, the beer has a thin malt body characteristic of these beers followed by an assertive resiny, grapefruit hop aroma and mammoth bitterness. And that’s about it on this one.

These beers may be one-dimensional, but they have their place and this one is very refreshing on the hottest day so far in this Georgia summer. It’s a beer that’s perfectly suited as the first beer of the night, if not one that I could spend an entire evening drinking.



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