The Lot No. 3 India Pale Ale, from Evolution Craft Brewing Co. out of Delaware, came to me through a trade from from Matt A. I recently jumped feet first into the world of beer trading, thanks to Beer Advocate and their trading forum, and what an addiction it has become. This year-round American-style IPA sits at 6.8% ABV and I’m hoping for something big from this small brewery.

I noticed the bottle had been notched with a “Consume By” date of November (no year), so presumably 2010, considering IPAs are generally meant to be consumed fresh. With that in mind, I expected somewhat of a receding hop presence and presumably a bigger or unchanged malt profile. The Lot No. 3 poured a vibrant golden copper with a billowy white head. This has some seriously sticky lacing, which is great and always retained an acceptable cap throughout the tasting.

The nose was rather light here and definitely not as hoppy or bitter than most IPAs. What does stand out are the citrus qualities — white grapefruit, pineapple and some orange rind. For being an East Coast brewery, their approach to this IPA seems traditionally West Coast, due to the tremendous amounts of citrus flavors. Some distinct bready flavors and pine sap bring together this rather typical, yet diverse take on an American IPA.

My assumption seems to be correct in the taste, as what hop presence that was probably there originally seems to be fading quickly. The body feels overly thin and watery, unfortunately not much substance. The hops are still here, though terribly muted. Thankfully the malt presence isn’t overpowering so it does allow what hop flavors there are to showcase. Instead of being citrusy like in the nose, these hops are more earthy and grassy. More pine, grain and a sweet malt backbone coupled with a touch of citrus from the hops finish the palate off. The Lot No. 3 is far less bitter than I expected it to be, however, it’s clean, crisp and refreshing.

For drinking this IPA a few months outside of it’s prime, it did hold up fairly well but some qualities did diminish. Judging for what it was, it still was quite good. Easy descriptors are clean, light and crisp and when dealing with an IPA, these aren’t necessarily bad. I do expect my IPAs to have some distinct bitterness, so perhaps that’s where I’m most disappointed. Still, the Lot No. 3 stands its ground and shows its craftsmanship by remaining delicious a few months later.

Rating

84
out of 100