Forgotten Boardwalk Brewery of Cherry Hill, N.J. took over the old Flying Fish brewery building. The company was founded by Jamie Queli who has made it her personal vision to brew beers and turn her brewery into a sort of adult playground. They have a few year-round brews and a few seasonal and limited runs. One of their seasonal beers is the White India Pale Ale.
The beer poured a hazy gold with a solid white head that rose to just over a finger at its height. There were some bubbles seen slowly rising to the surface. The aroma was one of hops, yeast, and a note of citrus. They blended well together and created a nice nose to the beer that wasn’t overpowering.
The first sip brought forth a yeasty bread flavor followed quickly by a tinge of citrus and finally the hoppy bitterness you would expect of an IPA. The beer felt light in the mouth and finished dry. The carbonation was on the lighter side of moderate, just enough to tease your tongue.
This is not your typical IPA. It doesn’t have the grassy or piney bite of hops but is rather mellow in that department. You definitely notice the hops but the Belgian yeast is allowed to play its role without interference. It is like you are drinking two different beers in the same sip but somehow the flavors come together in a fun and playful way. The beer does leave a little lacing on the glass as you drink, like ocean waves crashing onto shore and the breakwater beyond. The only complaint I have is there is a little alcohol taste at times. It does clock in at 6.6% ABV but I didn’t expect that much of an alcohol taste. It doesn’t kill the mood of the brew though.
Overall, this was a fun beer to drink. As a fan of both white and wheat beers and IPAs it was nice to see the two get along so well. This is a fun beer that you can definitely enjoy in the summer. The flavors mesh well and are allowed to shine in their own right. I’d buy this again.