on THE TAPHANDLE

Big Red IPA, an India Pale Ale by Big Horn Brewing Company

On tap. Let me preface this review by saying that this was not a bad beer. It is better than most beers available at most restaurants. For me, however, it failed as an IPA.

The appearance and palate were average. Big Red was a cloudy yellow-orange, with a thin white head. That thin white head left behind average lacing. Nothing spectacular. The palate was similar. It was there. A little bit of tingle from the carbonation, but nothing to be excited about.

The nose was off. There was a promising floral aroma from the hops, followed by citrus. But then there was a faint sweet-and-sour sauce smell, accompanied by a hint of wet newsprint.

Fortunately, the flavor was better than the aroma. The main flavor was citrus, mostly orange, but also the sweetness of tangerine. I also detected a hint of canned peaches—the sugary syrup that fills the can—and the minutest hint of a wheat cracker. Every once in a while, I would get a flash of the sweet-and-sour sauce or the wet paper, but it was mild and less intense than that present in the aroma. Big Red was also less bitter than I expect in an IPA, especially one that bills itself as an American IPA. It just didn't pack the punch for which I was ready. I was hoping for a knockout and received a glancing blow.

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The best part of the ale was that it was shared with new friends at one of The Ram restaurants. It was an opportunity to meld a couple of my favorite "worlds." We talked literature and authors and writing, all the while enjoying beer served in an eighteen-ounce shaker glass in the comfort of a relaxed environment. The music was too loud for conversation, as it always is at The Ram, but it couldn't ruin the excitement of the fervid discussion.