 Rating: 83 Points
In walking through my favorite beverage store, I saw this beauty. Looking at the bottle, there is no surprise why this India pale ale ended up in my basket. A great big cross on the front, the brewery name is "Mission", and there is a Spanish galleon with the cross motif repeated. A cross displayed so prominently, and such clear references to California history necessitated that your reviewer partake of the promising elixir.
Let us share a word about the brewery before diving into the details of the drink. Mission Brewery is the name of an old brewery started in the early 20th century not far from Mission San Diego, but was shut down due to prohibition. Since then it was started and stopped several times. Most recently (2007), a couple of micro-brewers have taken over the name and begun producing award winning brews.
 The particular item under discussion is Mission Brewery's India Pale Ale, which took a bronze medal in the 2007 Great American Beer Festival. Hopes were definitely high for my first beer for Benedictus Fructus.
This IPA looked delightful. The ale was a rich copper color, clear and without any sediment. There was a nice lingering foamy head that left nice lacing on the glass as I the glass progressively emptied. The scent was just as tempting, with clear fruit and floral notes promising a rich flavor.
The initial taste delivered on the promises made to nose and eye. The flavor definitely incorporated fruit and floral tones. Unfortunately, the bitterness of the brew came through strongly after the initial taste, taking away from some of the enjoyment.
The ale had a nice round body, appropriate to the drink. Unfortunately, the carbonation is substantial and I thought the sensation is distracting from the overall experience.
The finish was sharp and left the flavor of pine in my mouth. I can imagine that some would find that plesant, but I did not.
Overall this was not a bad IPA. It certainly had a delightful scent and initial taste. There are areas that detract from these highlights. I would certainly drink this one again, but I don't think I would go out of my way to get one.
The beer had a nice round body, bu |
