REVIEW 146: COUNTY LINE IPA

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company

STYLE:  IPA

ABV:  6.6%

PURCHASE:  Draft (pint), $5.75

SERVING:  Chilled pint glass. Standard 3/4"-1" head from the tap. Decent retention.

APPEARANCE:  Transparent rusty-caramel color with the expected sudsy white head. Barely any visible bubbling. Outstanding lacing.

BOUQUET:  Hops are rounded out with nice caramel malt and subtle citrus aromas. A little bready.

PALATE:  Moderately filling body. Perfectly carbonated. Hops set in immediately but don't attack you as with some IPAs; rather, entry is a bit malty with the hops blending in toward the finish. They yield to citrus essences of grapefruit and, to a lesser degree, lemon zest in the somewhat yeasty aftertaste. Makes for a pleasantly bittersweet end note. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  County Line IPA is the flagship IPA from Neshaminy Creek, named for the main roadway that divides Bucks and Montgomery Counties just outside Philadelphia. In fact, the brewery itself was almost named County Line, before settling upon Neshaminy Creek. 

As for the beer, hopheads rejoice!  Hops will always be the calling card of the IPA, and this one boasts five different varieties of them. 

GRADE:  B+