Tasting Notes: Baird: Suruga Bay: Imperial IPA

Baird: Suruga Bay: Imperial IPA (Japan: IIPA: 7.5% ABV)

Visual: Clear honeyed apricot amber. Good thickness of white bubbled head yet low carbonation on the body.

Nose: Passion fruit. Custard. Mango, peaches and syrup, Tropical fruit juice drink.

Body: Peaches. Hop bitterness. Pineapple juice and grapefruit.  Solid bitter middle. Smooth and slightly thickened texture. Custard sweetness. Slight mint.

Finish: Grapefruit. Peppermint. Bitter hops. Pineapple. Thick clinging hops.

Conclusion: Imperial IPAs live or die by their hops.  It’s just the way it goes.  This one goes very much for the tropical flavour, with peach being the unusual but tasty pick for the primary punch.  This makes it very juicy and sweet. It comes off like a tropical punch with hop bitterness thrown in for good measure.

While bitter it keeps it restrained mid body, saving the punch for the end. On the down side the hops are a bit clingy in the finish, though that could be a side effect from the bottle having to come so far to be drunk. I have noticed highly hopped beers can become slightly sticky in a comparatively short space of time.

While it doesn’t punch the same level of flavour as say, Wipeout IPA, it is fruity fresh drink and the emphasis on sweetness and peach is a good choice creating a fantastic sweet/bitter contrast.

So a few flaws, but generally a good ‘un. A tasty IPA with a touch thicker texture than normal.  Japan is turning out to have fine craft beer scene growing.

  Background: Baird have before this had one very good and one mediocre beer to their name in my experience. Oddly the bottle image initially made me think of the Gotenba Kohgen before I realized which brewer it was actually from.  Picked up at the great British beer festival.