Hale's Mongoose IPA

~ Initial Review: 03-17-2003:

Yet another quality product from the hoppy beer capital of the known world, the PacNW. In this case, a tasty IPA from the vastly under-rated Hale's Ales (Moss Bay) of Seattle, WA. Went to the brewpub several times, and always considered to be one of the semi-hidden gems of the otherwise crowded Seattle brewpub scene.

Anyway, onto to case at hand. Mongoose IPA presents itself in fine form, with a deep copper hue, with perhaps hints of red in the highlights. Nice even carbonation -- not too aggressive, but not too mellow, either. I would say the only hit on this beer is the nose, which could use more assertivness, IMHO.

As should be expected, this is purely PacNW in the hop department. Cascade, Chinook, and I'm guessing Columbus all make a appearence here at one time or another. The fact that none seem to dominate the other hops is a big plus in my book. Too many other brewers try too hard to have one in-your-face flavor stand out, which ends up producing a beer that lacks depth and imagination. 

Never had a Hale's that wasn't complex and interesting, and this IPA is no exception. Recommended.

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~ Re-Review, 03-11-2006

This beer is something of a newcomer to the SoCal beer store shelves, and I was quite pleased to see it for sale at my local BevMo. And though I don't normally buy 6-packs of stuff I don't normally purchase, I had the feeling that this sixer wouldn't do me wrong.

And I was not mistaken. This is a *really nice* IPA, I'd say. Rather calm with the carbonation, which is a welcome change of pace from beers with a ton of gas filling me up after a beer or two. 

In addition, the beer's nose is especially noteworthy. Gotta love the PacNW's skills, when it comes to making sure the almight hop is smack-right upside your nose at all times!

Scores modified upwards to reflect my newly refounded respect for this particular beer. Recommended.

//TB