Another regional brew I’m not able to get in the Midwest has graced my presence. Blue Point claims to be “Long Island’s Brewery” and being that I’ve never been to Long Island I can’t speak otherwise. This APA is a brewed in honor of their 10th anniversary and uses fresh hops harvested here in the States. It has an abv of 4.6%, is hopped in 4 different stages, and its grain bill is made up of Carapils, Wheat and Pale malts.
The color is a pleasant sunset orange which boasts a tall fluffy white head that breathes fresh hops and leaves a good amount of lacing. When I first took a smell there was definitely citrus notes of mango, orange, lemon zest, and peach. Contrary to the bottles description this was not as bold as I was expecting. Rather it was actually and thankfully well balanced between hops and malt. Yes, the hops made up a huge part, but the malts added a light caramel sweetness which complimented the floral notes of the hops.
On to the taste and Blue Point has got one solid brew. The hop additions show up in wonderful way in the nose, a minor sharp bitterness at the beginning, a floral middle, and a resinous finish. While these green cones are present throughout they are not overpowering like most APAs that are more IPA in nature. The malt backdrop is noticeable providing just enough sweetness to balance each sip.
I will say that even though the hops were fresh this beer had a mellowed, dank aspect. The aftertaste had a mouth smacking semi-oily feeling to it, but not in a dry sense.
An overall enjoyable brew that was true to style and one that I would like to have again.
ABV: 4.6%
Grade: B+