Barley's Centennial IPA

Here is what the Brewer says:

First brewed to celebrate our 100th batch, this IPA is Angelo Signorino's favorite. Aging with French white oak contributes a hint of vanilla and whole hop addition adds a citrusy fruitiness. Respect the IPA

Body: medium

Color: copper

Grain: British lager and crystal

Bittering Hops: American Centennial and British Fuggle

Finishing Hops: American Centennial and British Fuggle

Dry Hops: American Centennial and Willamette

Finished with: French and Hungarian toasted oak

Original Gravity: 1.074

IBUs (estimate): 71

Alcohol By Volume: 7.6%

First Tapped: August 1994

My Thoughts:  This beer poured a hazy orange/copper color with minimal head.  The smell was floral with a very faint roasted malt.  I really had to sniff and sniff to get a lot of scent out of this brew.  The taste followed the nose by having a floral and citrus (lemon) flavors to it.  I did notice a very slight hint of vanilla at the end as well.  This beer had a mild bitterness to it throughout, and I was sort of surprised when I read it was 71ibu.   The mouthfeel was actually a bit creamy with low carbonation.  As it warmed a bit I thought the taste improved as did the drinkability of this beer.  In the end, nothing about this IPA really made it stand out to me.  Sure it is drinkable, but I wouldn't order a second one just because there are more interesting beers out there with more flavor and better use of bitterness.

Serving Type: Draft

My Rating: Overall 63.5/100
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | drink: 3