The Beer Snob's Beer Reviews

Today’s beer review, Caldera IPA,  is another review brought to you courtesy of my buddy Elmer.  He recommended this beer to me, and I recently (finally) took his sage advice and tried what turned out to be a surprisingly tasty IPA. (Photo “borrowed” from http://www.thefullpint.com, so please visit their site!)

About the brewery
(Direct from Caldera Brewing Company’s Website) Caldera Brewing Company, located in Ashland, Oregon, was established in 1997.  Caldera is dedicated and determined to produce uncompromised quality craft beers.  Balancing premium malted barley, fresh whole flower hops, and natural carbonation, each beer is brewed for optimum sensory pleasures. Caldera is the first craft brewery in Oregon to brew and can its own beer.

About the beer
This beer is made with Simcoe, Centennial and Amarillo hops.  According to Caldera, this beer is an American-style India Pale Ale brewed with plenty of body and an assertive hop profile.

The Pour
This slightly hazy, coppery orange colored beer pours slightly hazy and with a 2 and a half finger thick, somewhat pillowy head.  The head quickly settles into a 1 finger thick, denser head that leaves great lacing clinging to the glass for dear life.

The Nose
Oh heavenly hops!  The nose simply overflows with good clean floral hops and juicy grapefruit.  This smells like it will be a great IPA.  My mouth waters just inhaling it’s heavenly hoppy bounty!

The Taste
Smooth and extremely clean, the flavor of this beer is mildly citrusy/fruity upfront with a floral, slightly bitter hop flavor on the finish.  The hops really come in on the finish, make you forget about the beer’s fruity aspects, and make you want another taste, just to experience the fruitiness again.  There is a slightly thick, clinging mouthfeel to this light-medium bodied brew.

Overall
I love love love a good, complex beer, with endless depth of flavor and great character.  This is not one of those beers.  But I also appreciate a simple, very well crafted and flavorful beer, and this definitely fits the bill.  This is an excellent example if what an IPA can be.  Juicy grapefruit and floral hops can’t be done any better than they are here.

Recommended
Absolutely. I can recommend this without a doubt.   If you like a good IPA, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.  A template for what a great IPA could taste like.

Price: $2.29/12 oz. can

ABV: 6.1%