Beer of the Week: Acoustic Ales White IPA

It’s been a bit tough to get my head around what’s going on with Acoustic Ales Brewing Experiment. The first time I reported on them was last November. Since then, I’ve checked in on what looks like a pretty complete-looking tasting room at Mission Brewery Plaza. Though that sampling space has yet to open, the brewhouse it shares space with has been pushing out beers over the past several months.

Truth be told, it’s been nice to get acquainted with this brewery the way I used to get to know most breweries—by tasting their beers then learning who was behind them. My earliest introductions to Acoustic Ales were the company’s Passion Pils, a pilsner brewed with passion fruit; and Witte Snake, a Belgian-style witbier flavored with kaffir lime, orange peel, and ginger. While in no way flawed, they were a bit mild. But during a recent visit to new sausage and craft beer spot Salt & Cleaver (3805 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest), I tasted the first Acoustic Ales beer to forcefully deliver big-time flavors, Acoustic Ales White IPA.

The beer pours a glowing ember orange with a fluffy snow white head. Generous hopping keeps the beer dry and super refreshing. The only thing to linger on the back end is a sticky bitterness that hangs around like legs on a red wine glass. That bitterness tastes simultaneously pithy and spicy, like sinking one’s teeth into a lemon wedge afforded a fresh grind off a pepper mill. It’s a complex and enjoyable flavor profile that makes me want to know more about this young brewing company.