Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Casinos IPA

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Casinos IPA. A co-worker of mine picked this one up in Santa Cruz at The Beach Boardwalk – a collaboration between the brewery and the Boardwalk.

From the press release (here): “The name of the beer originates from the name of the Boardwalk’s 1907 event facility, now called the Cocoanut Grove.  (The word “casino” was once used for grand entertainment facilities. The Boardwalk’s Casino Arcade still retains the name.)  Named after the building, “Casinos” is the name of a rare surf break in front of the Boardwalk.  The Casinos beer label includes a 1950s photograph, of Santa Cruz lifeguards posing on boards in front of the “Casino” taken from the approximate location of the “Casinos” surf spot.

Casinos IPA is a “British style India Pale Ale with a blend of Organic Fuggle, Kent Goldings, and Magnum hops creating a classic, well-balanced, malty beer,” according to Emily Thomas, Mountain Brewing’s owner and brewer.”
Let’s get started!
Appearance: Pours a hazy straw yellow with a white head and minimal lacing.
Aroma: Bready and sweet malts, floral, citrus and pine hops.
Taste: Very malty upfront, caramel, bready and grainy malts, floral, citrus and slight pine hop bitterness.
Overall: Very approachable and balanced, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Casinos IPA is most definitely an English style IPA.  High on malts and low on hop bitterness, this 7% ABV offering tastes nice and would be a great beer to drink whilst on the beach in Santa Cruz.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey
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