David Brockington's Tasting Notebook

Star IPA

Prologue:

The teaching load in my new graduate program is quite heavier than what I had at WWU. Hence, I haven't had as much time to post my notes into credible reviews. What time I did have was spent updating the index system on my web page or writing my forthcoming article in Brewing Techniques. I wonder what my advisor would think if he discovered that I had been published in a beer-geek journal before a political science journal? :) Now that those projects are basically complete, I will return to writing reviews, and once again become a member of this fine community we have here in rfdb, following a six-week hiatus. Reviews on the near horizon include two of the new AB "American Originals" that I purchased the other day -- the Faust Golden Lager and the Black and Tan Porter.

Star Brewing Company
5231 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
Portland, Oregon

Initial Impressions:

Star Brewing is a relative newcomer to the Northwest beer scene, having opened its doors in early 1993. Their range lacks beers of any particular distinction, with their largest seller rumored to be their "Raspberry Ale". They also brew a credible Brown Ale and a fairly hoppy Golden Ale. While Star had a special release IPA, featuring Columbus hops, for the brewers' conference held in Portland this past July, the IPA that I review here is their standard product. These notes are several months old, but a reliable source informed me that there was no move (as of August) to permanently change the IPA recipe. That being said, there is the possibility that the IPA will change, adopting the new Columbus hop, making the following review moot.

In glass, the beer was a crystal clear light copper. A firm white head quickly amassed itself, displaying nice lacework down the side of the glass as I drank my pint.

Nose:

Several aromas competed for attention in the IPA. A malty note was evident, with the requisite hops not too far behind. A slight phenolic aroma was also perceptible.

Flavor:

The flavor was fairly two-dimensional. A teasing maltiness quickly slid into a hop bitterness, the latter lingering for quite a while after the beer passed over my tongue.

Final Analysis:

This is a credible IPA. A firm hop bitterness is supported by just enough of a maltiness to prevent this beer from becoming unidimensional. However, it was nothing exciting. The hoppiness lacked a strong flavor or aroma component, and not even the merest hint of a crystal component made the maltiness of this beer fairly unsophisticated. Once again, though, it was a credible IPA -- unlike a lot of beers being sold which claim the name but fail to follow through on the flavor.

Rating: ***

(5-star scale)

Next Up:

Anheuser-Busch Faust Lager
Anheuser-Busch Black & Tan Porter
Oasis Nileator Doppelbock
Wharf Rat Blackfriar Stout
Copyright 1995 by David Brockington, all rights reserved.
Seattle

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