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Maui Brewing Big Swell IPA

LibationsSpokane

Maui Brewing Big Swell IPA cover

Another good, though not great, canned entry from Maui Brewing.

It poured a light golden color, with a pretty decent head. A quick whiff revealed a citric scent -- think oranges and lemon; maybe something a bit sweeter like pineapple. There were hints of hops in the back.

This might have been the first sign of the slight disappointment I felt about the beer. Maui advertises no less than seven hop types used in the IPA. I had expected it to pull me by the nose down into the beer. It didn't.

In fact, a sip would quickly prove that this is more of a fruity ale with a delicate smooth hoppiness to it. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but the way it was advertised seemed to suggest a hop fest. Had it been a blind taste test, I would probably have guessed it was a pale.

So it is big and swell, but possibly not very IPA-y. Definitely recommended as a summer relaxer, but as far as hoppy ales go, it is kind of a letdown.