Czig Mesiter Brewing Company out of Hackettstown, N.J. is one of the Garden State’s quickly growing brew companies. We have reviewed their Prospector Ale recently and you can find that review by clicking here. Today, up for review is their Shipwright IPA.
Shipwright IPA pours a hazy burnt orange color with a thick, white, robust head that stood three fingers high at its height. The aroma is one of herbal and citrus hops but there is some malt that is allowed through on the nose. There is some carbonation seen through the hazy brew but it doesn’t seem like a lot, just enough.
The first sip actually offers a little malt up front but that is quickly followed by the herbal and citrus hops. The herbal hops have that slight pine flavor like many traditional India Pale Ales do and the citrus leans more grapefruit than orange or lemon. There are no surprises here. This is a straightforward IPA. The carbonation is just where it needs to be. The beer feels medium-bodied in the mouth and finishes dry. There is a slight bitterness on the backend, like you would get from a glass of grapefruit juice.
The glass only laced moderately. Not as much as I would have expected given the large head that I poured out of the can. The beer was consistent through the session and was very satisfying.
Overall, this is a good IPA. If you don’t like IPAs you won’t like this. If you like them then you should give this brew a shot if they are available in your area. This was a fun beer with a lot of strong IPA qualities. Also, at 6.2% ABV there isn’t a lot of alcohol kick back so you can sip these for a long time. A good beer from a pretty good company.