This beer is all about the chosen variety of hops - Lemon Drop. It's designed to showcase that hop's character. Also it was the first beer to grace my new kegging setup. Yay! Now let's see how it tastes. Appearance: After about 2 weeks in the keg it is nearly crystal clear, with a light golden / orange hue. Billowing and long lasting white head that sticks to the side of the glass.
Aroma: Mixed fruity and piney. Gets fruitier as it warms. Moderate intensity of hops. I get a pretty Cascade like character and surprisingly for the name and reputation of Lemon Drop hops I don't get a huge lemony character. Instead it's subtle. I was expecting it to be like a burst of citric acid, but it's like lemon without the overpowering sour / citric acid smell. There's a malt background but dominated by the hops.
Taste: Fruity and well-balanced bitterness. I somehow get more lemon in the taste than in the aroma, but not like sucking on a lemon. Again subdued malty quality, grainy and fairly dry. Bitterness is not overpowering but present.
Moutfeel: Moderate body and carbonation. Aftertaste is bitter and lemony but not strongly so.
Overall: Very pleasant IPA. Appropriate for the summer.
Well balanced and moderately aromatic. Not the most complex or hop-bomb IPA but I do like it. It seems to me that the Lemon Drop hops will go well with summery, low ABV beers that need some hoppy quality. I'll consider using them in the future and maybe mixing them up with some other hops.
