I really don’t like the taste of old IPAs. I suppose everyone can say that, but I really really don’t.
Depending how low I am on beer supply, if I buy a six-pack of (what turns out to be) old tasting beer, I will drain-pour the whole damn thing, three sips in.
It’s so bad that even if a fresh beer has a hop that brushes up against that old beer flavor, I’m the hell out of there.
I am getting that from a recent batch of Modern Times “Star Cloud”. Not so bad that I want to pour it out, but there is an issue here and it might be personal.
It’s a newish batch (only six weeks old). It was in the cooler of a Sprouts Market, so I dont think it took any extreme temperature changes.
Yet it reminds me of an older IPA. Notes of old. Could it be the hops used? I’m leaning toward this.
Citra is the featured hop. I have never gotten “old” from a Citra heavy beer. So I know it’s not Citra – at least I’m pretty sure. I fucking love most Citra based beers.
The other three?
- Motueka: Its a New Zealand hop that features fruit and citrus notes. I would have picked this one before knowing anything, but it sounds fine.
- Cashmere: Lemon lime, melon, peach, tangerine. Uh ohhh, melon huh? Yeah, I don’t like melon. This is a possibility.
- Centennial: Citrus. Lemon. Floral. Interesting, sometimes I’m not down with the floral notes.
So my issue with the Star Cloud is likely the Cashmere or Centennial. Maybe both.
It could be the combo of melon and floral. It also could be just the melon.
My pick is Cashmere. I don’t usually have a problem with floral mixed in with other flavors I dig. And I know I like Centennial featuring beers, normally.
Time to start giving a hard look at Cashmere with a side-eye for Centennial.
