Review: Eel River Brewing Emerald Triangle IPA
Eel River Brewing Company recently released this new American IPA, which will become a seasonal release. “Emerald Triangle” is sub-brand to Eel River (which you can find listed if you read the smaller text on the side of the label), but really it’s just the world Emerald that you’ll spot on the shelf. The Triangle portion of the brand name is implied in the form of a dark green triangle in center of the bottle. The name is a big ignominious, but makes sense considering Eel River’s Humboldt County-based location.
As for the beer, it’s a hop-forward brew without a lot of nuance. It’s quite earthy, with pungent bitterness and pine tree bark overtones, but it lacks the crisp, citrus finish of so many high-end West Coast IPAs. With the attack is brisk and bracing, the body soon develops the brooding character of the forest floor rather than the needles on the trees. The finish remains on the muddy side, almost mouth-coating rather than cleansing, the hallmark of great IPA.
All in all, it’s an enjoyable beer, but considering the flood of top-shelf IPAs that have hit the market of late, it’s not the best I’ve encountered.
6.7% abv.
B / $NA / eelriverbrewing.com
Eel River Brewing Emerald Triangle IPA
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