River City IPA

LibationsSpokane

Well...

So River City is out there and, presumably, loving it. Which is great. There has been quite a surge of new local breweries as of late, and some, like Iron Goat, have done some pretty excellent stuff.

River City might also be primed for excellence, but their IPA is... not so good. I kind of hate ragging on a local brewery, particularly after trying just one of their beers, but this IPA is not up to snuff.

It looks fine and all, decent retention, and there's just a bit of caramel on the nose. That, sadly, is as complimentary as I can be.

Nothing is going on here flavor wise, and the mouthfeel is completely off. I mean, really, this tastes and feels more like a watered down pilsner than an IPA. I could not pick up on any caramel, hops or... anything. And that's about all there is to it. All, in this case, being preciously little.

I really did want to like the IPA, just like I want to like any local beer, but this didn't do it for me. As far as River City goes, I have fond memories of their old incarnation's vanilla bourbon stout, and I look forward to seeing that again.

The IPA, meanwhile, is something I just want to forget. Hopefully River City's other brews will help me do just that.