#225 Liquor Barn Exclusive (BBC) - Sheltowee Hop-A-Lot

This beer is made by Bluegrass Brewing Company and is sold exclusively at Liquor Barn stores a chain of large liquor stores in Louisville and Lexington Kentucky. I got this beer from Brad Mock a reader of the blog and a member of my beer club. Sheltowee is a trail through Southen Kentucky found by Danial Boon, the name means "Big Turtle".

This IPA has a hoppy pineapple smell. The color is a light red with a hint of hazy, might road hazy from having the beer in the car. The head is very thick and sticky with a long retention, substantial pieces of foam remain on the side of the glass after the rest of the foam has gone away.

There is a strong upfront grassy hop flavor with some hints of citrus. There is also an aggressive bitterness drying out the mouth. There is a hint of malt sweetness with the first sip, but it is washed away by the bitter hop flavors. The mouthfeel is medium full giving some body to such a hoppy beer. The finish is dry and bitter with a citrus flavor and a light grassy almost mint taste.

This beer has too much hop bitterness and grass flavors. I would like more malt to round out the hops, and reduce the grassy taste. This tasted like the BBC pale ale with twice the hops and almost no extra malt. I frequently ask for more hops in a beer, but this is a rare occation when I would like less hops.