Brewery: Vintage Brewing Co.
ABV: 6.5%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown
This beer was actually my 4th choice, but my 3rd choice (a double black IPA) was not available despite being listed on the menu as being newly tapped. Luckily, I always have a backup choice of beer for just such an occasion. I haven't really thought about what I'd do if my backup choice wasn't available either. My guess is probably panic and curl into the fetal position under the table.
The Woodshed IPA is a cloudy copper beer with a quick fading head that leaves a small layer behind. This beer has a very strong hoppy aroma, but it's a very different aroma from the Hop Harvest. Whereas that one was a grassy kind of hop, this one is all about the florally citrus hops.
And the flavor follows right from the aroma. There are major grapefruit notes from the hops. It also has a very light maltiness (and sweetness) that balance out the hops and keep them from being too much. Sadly, there is not nearly enough sweetness to keep this beer from causing a Kate-face. This beer has a very dry finish that makes you immediately ready for the next sip. As it warms up, the sweetness increases as the hop flavors decrease, so you can wait it out until the balance is right where you want it, as long as you like hops at least a little bit.
Final thought - Even though it was a backup beer, I enjoyed this beer very much. Citrusy hops with enough sweetness to keep them in check generally make for my favorite IPAs, and this was no exception. All in all, I think Vintage is a great brewery (based on only 3 beers, but they were still 3 for 3 in my book), and I'm glad it's the one that I randomly chose off my list of Madison breweries.
-Jon
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