2nd Story NW Blend IPA is a 6% American IPA from 2nd Story Ale Works based in Tokushima, in Japan. It’s part of their bottled and tap line up though its availability at the time of writing is unknown. From 2nd Story Ale Works: “For this IPA we went a little more classic. Inspired by one of our favorite IPAs, RPM by Boneyard Beer, we used 8 different hops in this IPA and focused on some of the classic Northwest hops, Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, Columbus and Citra. Almost all the hops were used in the whirlpool and dry hopping.”
2nd Story NW Blend IPA Aroma and Taste
2nd Story NW Blend IPA poured out a slightly hazy, dark golden straw colour with a very small amount of white head on top that faded extremely quick, leaving just a couple of bubbles around the side of the glass. The aroma was a real humdinger of a beer – lots of citrus fruits going on in the form of lemon, grapefruit, and some orange, and an underlying dank backbone that interplayed with those citrus aromas nicely. The malts weren’t as bold, with just a light dusting of sweet caramel going on, but that was faint and fleeting, with only the hops really being noticeable.
The body to 2nd Story NW Blend IPA started off with a short, sharp bitterness that, while potent, didn’t assault the taste buds too much. The citrus aromas were present in the body, with the grapefruit and lemon being the strongest, with a slight astringency lingering, just waiting to snap. The resinous backbone became more noticeable as 2nd Story NW Blend IPA warmed up, while still retaining its snap in the body. A sweet caramel flavour was just lying in the background – neither threatening to strike through or dominate the flavours – but was enough just to take off some of the edge of the hoppy bitterness. The citrus flavours lingered into the aftertaste, before leaving a sticky, dank flavour on the palate.
2nd Story NW Blend IPA The Bottom Line
I don’t what is new about this blend of hops, but I liked it.
Where to Buy 2nd Story NW Blend IPA
2nd Story NW Blend IPA can be bought online at the following places:
