Latitude 48 IPA - Boston Beer Company

    Latitude 48 IPA is an American India Pale Ale created by the Boston Beer Company located in Boston, Massachusetts. I purchased this beer as part of Samuel Adams' "Hopology" pack in hopes that the beers would be better than Sam Adams' norm.

    Latitude 48 pours an amber color with Samuel Adams' hallmark thick head which leaves lacing down the glass as it resides. A large amount of bubbles can be seen in the glass, making me suspect that this one is going to be over-carbonated.

    The AIPA smells strongly of hops. According to the bottle, this beer is made using a vast collection of hops varieties from all over the world, which is the likely reason that the hops scent to the beer is somewhat confusing. The beer has a fruity, yet almost metallic smell to it which isn't unpleasant as much as it is intriguing.

    Sam Adams' beer is light to medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation, definitely not the huge level that I was expecting. Instead of being too foamy in the mouth, the carbonation beefs up the body and makes what would seem like a lighter body seem much thicker and more smooth.

There's a reason we all went West.

    The American India Pale Ale tastes much sweeter than I would have guessed. While there are some slight floral notes from the hops, a huge malt backbone is more strongly featured. There is a somewhat bitter aftertaste from the beer, but other than that Latitude 48 is somewhat lacking in hops for an IPA. I also taste what I think is a cinnamon spiciness. There is a slight alcohol warmth to the beer which is surprising at 6% ABV.

    Latitude 48 is named for the Pacific North West area of the United States which supposedly has the best climate for growing hops. I can only imagine that our ancestors must have known this, hence the push Westward. Sure, there was supposed to be gold and silver on the west coast, but I think that they really went West for green gold, hops! Of course this isn't something that they would teach us in school, and we all know that there is no way that this fact would appear in any Oregon Trail game, but there just might be something to the theory.

    I went into drinking Latitude 48 hoping to discover a decent IPA created by Samuel Adams. By all accounts, Sammy makes good beer, he just doesn't make beer that is anything special. If ever you want something that is easy-drinking, look to Sam Adams. I feel like this IPA kind of goes along those same lines. If you would like an easy introduction into IPAs without jumping right into the super bitter stuff, Latitude 48 might just be the perfect starting point for you!

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