Chatham Brewing 8-Barrel Super IPA
By Julia Burke, Beer Editor
I made my first visit to Chatham Brewing recently and based on what I tasted I know it won’t be my last.
This small, neighborhood-friendly brewery has a dynamite lineup with balance and great flavor across the board. Craving hops, I brought home a growler of this baby.
This double IPA pours a rusty amber-copper haze into a pint glass with a fluffy one-to-two-finger head and good lacing. The nose surprised me at first with intense citrus, as in someone-just-peeled-an-orange fresh citrus fruit. As the beer warmed up slightly it reveals an elegant malt profile; the combo makes for a yummy and unique nose, though not at all what I was expecting hop-wise from a beer called “Super IPA.”
On the palate, there’s tons of orange and peach, a lot of smooth malt, just a hint of warmth and sweetness from the alcohol, and crisp, clean hops that never step out for that screaming solo but instead remain in line with the rest of the components. Good carbonation and clean flavors to the finish make for an extremely drinkable, smooth brew.
This isn’t your resiny, musky hop bomb. It’s actually very well-rounded and was approachable enough that all my coworkers enjoyed a growler of it over the weekend. The alcohol is well-hidden and it comes off as almost a session beer.
I was able to get my hop fix with this tasty Hudson Valley offering without scaring away less hop-head-inclined fellow drinkers, and that’s cool.
Producer: Chatham Brewing LLC
ABV: 8%
Style: Double IPA
Sample size: 16 oz. from growler
Stemware: Pint glass
Price: $8 growler
Score: B
