India Pale Ale: a full country better than Pale Ale

Guess what, folks? Remember that piece I said I was going to write about New York being in imminent danger of losing a whole whale full of its craft beer selection? I'm gonna do it later. I've less depressing things to discuss tonight.

You see, tonight is night two of the Mendocino Brewing Co. trial. Yesterday's Blue Heron Pale Ale was...meh. Today, the drink of choice is their White Hawk IPA. This India Pale Ale is vastly different from yesterday's plain ol' Pale Ale, evidenced first by it's darker appearance. Not terrifically darker, but not as - well - pale. The head reacted similarly to the pale ale; pouring about one finger and retaining a slim coating over the drink until the glass was empty.

After one sniff of White Hawk, it's clear that it's going to be better than the pale ale was. That wonderful hop scent isn't overpowering, but it's certainly not hiding anywhere, either. The taste is very much the same - for a low priced brew, this actually delivers a pretty hefty hop taste. I don't know what kind(s) are in there. Maybe it's on the label, maybe it's on the website, and maybe I don't feel like checking. Because right now, I'm not interested in doing any real in-depth review. Partially because I don't really know what I'm talking about anyway. But mostly because this is a surprisingly solid brew from a company I'd never heard of until yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be buying more. I'd encourage you to do the same!