Served at cellar temperature from a 750ml bottle, split across two wine glasses. Bright and clear, deep gold, with lacing that survives to the bottom of the glass.
Godspeed Brewery have built this on pils / rice with Citra / Simcoe in the kettle. 6.5%, 55 IBU: unremarkable numbers on paper, and the beer is better for it.
The palate is where it earns the score. The Citra / Simcoe bitterness arrives early and holds through a finish dry enough to pull you straight back to the glass. Nothing sags in the middle, which is the failure mode for most IPAs.
It holds together across a second glass, which is not guaranteed at 6.5%. The bitterness accumulates rather than fatigues, and the aroma is still doing something by the bottom of the second pour, which is the real test of a cold ipa.
Lager yeast and a rice adjunct strip out everything an IPA usually hides behind. What is left is bitterness and aroma with nowhere to go, which is either bracing or brutal depending on the brewer.
Against the rest of the ipa shelf this holds its own comfortably. It is not the beer that will convert anybody to the style, but it is the one you reach for once the converting is done, and at $5.90 / 473ml it is honestly priced.
Bought at Godspeed Taproom (in stock at the time of writing). Straight from the fridge. This one does not need to warm up.
Pair it with something salty and eat while you drink. It rewards the company.
