REVIEW: West Sixth IPA

I have my lovely girlfriend to thank for this one. She gave me this six pack as well as the pint glass for my birthday. Thanks, Mere! She lives in Lexington, Kentucky which has recently become home to a really exciting and burgeoning craft beer community. Today's brewery, West Sixth, and Country Boy Brewing are both new craft breweries that have opened in the past few months. There are also a number of great restaurants and bars that specialize in extensive craft beer selections. Any of my Cincinnati readers owe it to themselves to make the hour and a half drive down I-75 for the weekend. It's a good time. Anyways, today's beer is the flagship from West Sixth and is currently the only beer available from them in six packs. I had the pleasure of trying their very tasty brown and amber ales the last time I visited the brewery but today we look at the IPA. To the beer!

West Sixth's IPA pours an ever so slightly hazy pale gold in color. It's capped by a generous layer of bubbly white head. Thin streams of bubbles hint at the effervescent carbonation to come.

The hops dominate the aroma here. Lots of bold piney herbal scents backed by some light fruitiness and a bit of crackery malt.

This has a lighter body than I've seen in a lot of the IPAs that I've been drinking recently. It also has a great crispness that makes for a very summery beer. The piney fruity hop presence is contrasted by a light crackery malt flavor. The balances definitely tips toward the side of the hops on this one. Yet it is still very drinkable and refreshing. The bitterness on this beer is also very well done. It adds a nice bite but it also has a nice roundness to it that keeps the hoppiness from being one note.

All in all, the light piney fruity hop flavor, the bite of bitterness, and the generous carbonation make this one hell of a summer IPA. If you find yourself in Lexington, check this one out.