Exodus 2.0 Tasting

Well it's about time I get around to posting this tasting review. Exodus 2.0 is the second incarnation of one of my earliest recipes, a poor rendition of an Irish red ale. This version was more closely based on a west coast red ale/red IPA with the specific purpose of getting hit with some oak cubes soaked in a manhattan-esque cocktail to create a faux barrel aged red ale. The manhattan-esque cocktail was a standard manhattan recipe but with twice the normal amount of bitters and a touch more vermouth so it would carry more of the herbal flavors rather than tasting like another bourbon barrel aged beer. So that goal led to brewing an unusual beer that complimented the faux barrel aging.

Exodus 2.0 West Coast Red Ale Tasting (no oak)

Appearance: Pours slightly red but more coppery. Thick tan head forms and hangs around in a thinner, flat appearance as the beer is consumed. Decent lacing in a pint glass. Slight haze.

Aroma: Sweet orange, herbal spice, caramel sweetness, melon. Sweet orange dominates followed by the herbal spice. Overall the aroma is underwhelming, especially for a would-be IPA.

Flavor: Candied orange hits big up front followed by a peppery, slightly herbal spice. Malty sweetness, caramel, toasted bread crust, generic breakfast tea, melon and citrus punch all follow. Malty sweetness and caramel hangs in the aftertaste. Lacks bitterness for a beer calculated at 70 IBU. Also lacks the typical hop punch of an IPA.

Mouthfeel: Slightly heavy on the tongue with a lingering oiliness on the backend. The carbonation is acceptable but a slight upward adjustment would help lighten the body more in line with an IPA.

Overall: Definitely misses the mark on any type of IPA or really for a west coast red ale, if that style means a less aggressively hoppy red ale. The hops bring out an interesting flavor but not one I'd want to drink over multiple pints, at least not without a bigger hop expression. However, the goal for this beer was not to produce this beer, only to produce the faux barrel version. So if it fails as a standalone beer that's fine. If I wanted to rebrew it as a beer in its own right I'd cut out the vienna to lighten the beer and be far more aggressive with hops. Triple perle and nugget just don't carry the aggressive punch of many other varieties. I did enjoy what triple perle brought. Nice orange and melon flavor.