There’s certainly no Blue nature to the Sweetwater IPA, today’s first competitor up in my book. It pours a hazy, golden-orange color with a nice and white head. I was surprised with the level of carbonation bubbles rising up through the glass, and thought that it made for a delightful appearance. The aroma has a solid citrus hops kick as well as a far more gentler herbal side. The taste, as I expected from the style and the aroma, is loaded full of hops up front, loaded full of hops in the finish. But, I could still detect a pleasant sweetness lingering in the background, making its best effort to balance things out a touch. A somewhat thin mouthfeel leads to the dry and bitter finish. Perhaps the mouthfeel was so thin because of the seemingly high level of carbonation? Whatever the case may be, the folks at Sweetwater put together a solid IPA.

The hoppy competitor is a brew of the same style, the Breckenridge Lucky U IPA. This IPA poured a very similar orange-copper coloring, and was quite hazy with a good deal of floaties in the glass (but not to the same extent as with the Hand Ten). The aroma was an complex combination of earthy, citrusy, and grassy hops, which was very inviting to say the least. More of the same characters showed up in the taste, but it also had a near-perfume addition as well. As I slowly drained the glass, I found myself wondering just how many types of hops were used in this beer, as the flavor profile was very busy. Like the Sweetwater above, the Lucky U also has a subtle sweetness in the background. It was also well matched in the mouthfeel, and I did enjoy the bitter, fade away finish. I’m a fan of the brews from Breckenridge, so we’ll have to see how this one does later today!

UPDATE: Click Here for Match Results!