Caldera IPA [Beer Review]

A little while ago I took a trip (along with Devon, Sarah our Cider Writer and some friends) to Maryland for our friends’ wedding. Being who I am, I kept my eyes open for a place to grab some new beer and found it just a quick drive from our hotel. The day before we left, I stocked up. This is one of those beers.

The first thing that caught my eye about the Caldera IPA wqas the bright yellow can. How could I not check this one out? When I took a closer look, I saw Oregon on the label and knew I had to grab this west coast beer. The left coast is known for their use of hops and, despite the east coast doing some amazing things lately, I had to check out what our craft beer brethren/sistren were up to all the way on the other side of the continent. So let’s see how this west coast IPA does.

With a near opaque haziness and an orangey copper body capped by a craggy, dense off-white head...yeah, this looks like an IPA!

If you stick your nose into your glass, be prepared for what you’re going to smell...it’s hops! Not the dank, dense, oily hops of some west coast IPAs but hops almost like fresh grass clippings. After that there’s a bit of citrus fruit in there. In the background there’s a bit of clean, crisp malt but it’s definitely a canvas for hops.

This is IPA the way I love the style! The malt? Dry, smooth, clean and just a hop conveyer. The bitterness? There, but not too assertive and it doesn’t linger. The hop flavor? Citrusy, crisp and it tastes like spring. The beer isn’t resiny or abrasive, but rather it uses the hops in a way where you can enjoy a six-pack of this beer. This is an awesome IPA that I wish we had access to in Massachusetts! It’s just insanely drinkable, but it still gives you your hop fix. Plus, the bright yellow can with a neon green tab on top would draw just a slight bit of attention. If you have access to this, check it out!