Beer Review: IPA 395 by Mammoth Brewing

This week for #BeerSaturday, I present a review of the amazing IPA 395 by Mammoth Brewing Company. Mammoth Brewing is located in Mammoth Lakes, CA, walking distance to one of the Mammoth Ski Area lifts. This is an interesting IPA in that it is made with the additions of juniper berries and sage. It's a stronger IPA at 8% and moderate bitterness at 50 IBUs. The beer is named after the freeway you take to get to Mammoth Lakes: US-395.

I first had this beer in 2012 when I picked up a bottle at Taylor's Market in Sacramento. They have since stopped distributing to Northern California so I have not had the delicious Mammoth beers in quite some time.

Appearance

IPA 395 has a crystal clear red, amber color that almost has a glow to it. It was actually a bit darker than I expected it to be. The head has a sisal color, is foamy, and leaves a touch of lacing on the glass.

Aroma

At first the aroma was mostly juniper and piney hops. As the beer warmed up and the head settled, the fragrance revealed much more of the sage and the caramel-candy-like malt. The combination of sage, juniper, pine, and earthy-hops aromas remind me of drinking a gin an tonic, specifically a artisan gin.

Taste/Flavor

Although this beer has quite a bit of bitterness the sweetness from the malt balances out the flavors quite well. Also, despite the raw herbal aromas, there is no astringency that you might associate with the smell. When tasting IPA 395, I also pick up hints of lemon peel in the aroma, which is likely from the sage. The hop flavor and bitternes also comes off a bit spicy.

Mouthfeel

This beer is nicely carbonated, a little viscous (it is a double IPA after all), and the bitterness gives it the sensation of being a little spiky.

Overall

This is actually one of the first beers made with juniper berries where I could actually pick up the aroma of juniper. Maybe the other botanical, sage, combined with earthy and piney hops helps express the juniper more than in the others that I had. The herbs are strong and pungent but not overwhelming. The raw flavor of a bitter and sweet, but not cloying, IPA probably also works very well with the chosen herbs. Overall, this is a great herbed IPA.

Recommendation

Drink it!

Recommendations are on a 3 point scale: drink it, you decide, and don't drink it.

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