Victory Brewing Company Vital IPA

Almost everyone is brewing some sort of IPA these days, and it seems like there are a lot of that out there. I mean that is where the trend in craft beer has gone and is continuing to grow, and I think at some point the IPA bubble will burst and some other popular style with become the new fade. A rather large twenty year old brewery in the Northeastern US, Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, Pennsylvania, is on the trend with Vital IPA, 6.5% ABV.  Vital is brewed with whole flower hops such as Simco, Ctira, and Chinook, as well as Pilsner, and CitraPils Malts. Vital IPA pours a deep golden almost sunset gold color with a nice fluffy white two and a half finger head that is slow to fade, but does leave some thick messy lacing behind. The aroma is bitter like IPAs usually are, with a bit of citrusy fruits, a bit of lemon and some grassy notes. This IPA doesn’t really have a wow factor to its aroma, but it's okay. Now the taste is just slightly bitter at first sip then it becomes fruitier with citrus notes, some orange, grapefruit and little tropical notes, faint pineapple. There is a pine note following the fruit flavors with an earthiness. The mouth feel is medium and sticky, with a bitter grassy and pine finish that leads into a hoppy yet somewhat earth aftertaste. The can that Vital IPA is in is littered with flavored buzzwords to let you the drinker know how it should taste. I think it is somewhat of a clever idea. But it is not how I felt the beer tasted, and with that said I give Victory Brewing Company Vital IPA a C+, just a slight notch above average. Nothing really stands out or wows you, but it’s not bad. Drinkable? Yes but not as much as you’d think, that's cause Vital is 6.5% ABV. Not bad, just not such a drinkable ABV level. I might try this again but this isn’t one you and I should rush too. But a good one to keep around in your fridge for when you just want an average IPA once in a while. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!