Kris and I went to check out the American Solera Brewery this week, pick up our allotments and perhaps sample a few of their brews. They had quite a few that were only available at the brewery, and several that were available for crowlers. This one was the one I was most excited about, an opaque hop milkshake IPA that whoever is running AS’s IG account tagged with #noflour. I had a little taste at the brewery, and grabbed a crowler for a more in depth review at home.

Company: American Solera

Location: Tulsa, OK

ABV: 8.0% ABV

Style/Description: Imperial IPA

Price: $9.00 per 32 oz crowler

Appearance: Pours a hazy, opaque dirty straw color, cloudy and juicy, with light head and persistent lace.

Nose: Spicy citrus peel, orange juice and some piney resins. Some strange sweet undertones of vanilla and ginger ale.

Taste: The first sip was a rush of pine and bitter citrus pith, with some juicy flavors. The end is quite bitter in an unusual way for an IPA. Kris and I couldn’t quite put our fingers on what it was until a gentleman at another table said “chewed aspirin.” He nailed it, the end of this beer is very bitter and almost medicinal, and washes out much of the citrus sweetness that was there. I kind of liked the extreme bitterness, but Kris and the other gentlemen maybe not so much.

Editor’s Note: Hey Matt, thanks for letting us jack your aspirin notes. 

Finish: Harsh and bitter aspirin, that dissipates quickly leaving a lemony orange coating on the tongue. The aggressiveness of the bitter end mellows a tad as the beer warms and opens up.

Overall: I was glad to finally make it out to American Solera and sample this super fresh IPA. Definitely one for the hop heads craving extreme bitterness, and not at all for the faint of heart. Perhaps a tad harsh on the finish, even for me who usually says the more bitter the better. I hope to try more IPAs from American Solera, and I’m always glad to see an opaque IPA.

Rating: 3.5/5