Arcadia Ales- Hopmouth Double IPA: Open Wide!
Monday, March 7, 2011 at 4:59PM | by Wes 
Arcadia Ales sits right next to Bell’s as one of the breweries that was an integral component of my college beer enlightenment. Arcadia Brewing Company is located in Battle Creek Michigan, just one town over from Kalamazoo, and is home to Kellogg’s cereal and some kickass mountain bike trails at Fort Custer. Needless to say, I was a little excited when I saw Hopmouth sitting on the selves at my local liquor store. But when I saw it was a double IPA I knew I was bringing home some tonight.
Hopmouth Double IPA pours a dark ruby/ mahogany. The foam was minimal along with the carbonation, but the aroma mad me fall in love. This beer reminded me of sitting in a sauna after a long day of snowboarding. I picked up hints of sweet, roasted malt, alcohol, earthy cedar, floral hops and piney resin. If this beer were a fine lady, I would eat it like Hannibal Lecter.
Thankfully this beer’s bite matches its bark. The sweat roasted malt is just barely edged out by the strong hop resins that impart hints of pine, grapefruit and wood. The finish is dry and tingly without being overly palette pounding. I think flavor balancing is really the highest art form of crafting great beer and this brew is a freaking Picasso. A beer this strong shouldn’t have some many amazing flavors, yet finish so perfectly and so lightly. It just invites you back for sip after sip. Proceed with caution folks; Hopmouth is another Celtic badass ready to conquer in the beer wars.
ABV: 8.0%
Consumed: Globe Glass
Verdict: Buy A Case!
