Fort George Brewery and Public House - "Java the Hop" IPA

My brother Dan sent me this in the last box of beer he sent. It's from Astoria, OR-based Fort George Brewing Co. It's their limted-edition winter seasonal, called "Java the Hop", which is a 6.5% ABV India pale ale brewed with coffee beans sourced from Portland coffee shop Coava Coffee Roasters. Interesting!

Now, I know what you're thinking. Another coffee beer. And normally, you'd be right. Coffee beers are rather common, mostly in stout or porter format. And honestly, while coffee is good, I'm not really intrigued or surprised anymore. I've had too many and a LOT of them are the same, and many of them aren't that great to wit. Coffee's a common ingredient in a lot of craft beers, and a lot of them taste and feel the same.

But my curiosity was piqued when I opened up the latest beer box from Seattle (or, as I like to jokingly refer to it, a Marshall Aid shipment) and I discovered Dan sent me two pint cans of Fort George's "Java the Hop." Fort George makes some good stuff, including stellar beers like the Sunrise OPA, the Cavatica Stout, and the Quick Wit summer seasonal. So I knew that whatever was in those cans was worth trying. But I was even more intrigued when I read on the can that "Java the Hop" was not a stout but an IPA! I've never had coffee IPA before, so I was really looking forward to it. I hoped that it would break the tired mold of your typical coffee stout.

The can is a pint can, so larger than most usual 6-pack cans. I cracked it open and it had a nice hiss to it, so I knew immediately it was well-carbonated...another sign that this wasn't your run-of-the-mill coffee beer. I poured it out into my usual tasting glass:

It's got a surprising color - you don't see this sort of ale-esque orange color with a coffee beer. Usually it's dark brown or black. As you can see, the light hits it nicely and turns it a bright yellow color. I'd expect such a color more from a witbier than an IPA.

One sip told me I was in for a treat. The taste is very deep and delicious, like a smooth cup of Ethiopian Harrar, but matched up with the crispness of an IPA. There's a good, strong coffee taste here that's carried well by the hops. The finish is crisp, very very crisp, and the aftertaste is a very pleasant coffee taste with some complementary alcohol flavors. I must admit I immediately longed for another gulp!

Such a combination is rather unique. It's got the cloudy orange color of a lager, the nose of an hoppy IPA, and the taste of a refined coffee stout. I've never come across a beer like that and I didn't think such a flavor combination would exist. Such a thought was, well...

I do hope to have this beer again. It was a unique flavor combination that was a true pleasure to taste.