Upland Brewing Company- Dragonfly IPA: I’m Not Up On This IPA
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 6:57PM | by Jason 
Wednesday August 25th – As mentioned in my Sun King Osiris review, I drove through Indiana on my way to North Carolina in search of Osiris. While in the store I quickly scanned the rows and rows of brews hoping to find something else native to our neighbors to the east. After seeing the same brews you find in every typical liquor store I happened across an IPA that I had not heard of from a brewery that I was unfamiliar with. Indiana’s own Upland Brewing Company’s Dragonfly IPA was staring back at me and I bit. To this point Indiana has provided me with breweries such as Three Floyds and Sun King Brewing Company and I have to say that the Hoosier state is two for two. Will Bloomington Indiana’s Upland Brewing Company make it three for three?
Upland Brewing Company classifies this Craft Beer as an India Pale Ale (IPA) and their website describes Dragonfly IPA as, “India Pale Ale originated when the British Empire was at its height. British soldiers and civil servants were stationed all over the globe (including India), and regular ales could not survive the long journey by sea to reach them. The British solved this terrible dilemma by adding excessive amounts of hops to their beer–using the preservative properties of hops to increase the life of their beers.
Our Dragonfly India Pale Ale is true to this tradition, featuring seven hop additions to create a powerful hop profile. A solid malt base, however, tempers the bitter American hops, giving Dragonfly a balance not often found in this style. This is a beer with enough bite for hop fans, but is smooth enough to be a session beer. The end product is a well-balanced, malty beer with the crisp taste of hops and an exceptionally floral nose.”
Dragonfly IPA pours a sediment speckled copper color with a 1” khaki head. The aromas were very upfront and in your face with a blast of both citrus & floral hops and a slight hint of caramel malts.
The first thing that stands out about Dragonfly IPA is that it has a wonderful aroma. The second is that it bites with a hop bitterness that would appear to be much higher than the reported 40 IBUs according to the Upland Brewing Company’s website. Dragonfly IPA is presenting me with a problem, there are things I love about this beer and some things that I don’t. The opening salvo is a slight sweet and brief malt sweetness transitioning to a brilliant hop bite and this is where it drops off for me. The last third of the flavor is spicy (which I usually like) and switches to a somewhat earthy taste that seems off. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it seems to fade towards the end of the glass to the point where it is less noticeable. I’m not quite sure where I’m at with this one but I can say that there are a least a couple of dozen other IPAs I’d choose before Dragonfly IPA. However, I would recommend at least giving it a try and see what you think.
ABV: 6.5%
Consumed: Mother Earth Snifter Glass
Verdict: Buy A Six Pack
