O'Fallon Brewery's 5 Day IPA

A good beer from Missouri? I'm as shocked as you are.

Admittedly, IPA isn't my favorite style. I find them to generally be one-dimensional excuses for brewers to pump up the hops in a beer in order to hide the fact that they can't brew something that can stand on its own without an overly-bitter camouflage for their substandard ingredients. But, if done well, they can be a treat.

This particular one pours a hazy amber with a great tan head. Looks to be loosely filtered instead of any form of chill haze. Looks like it'll be substantial.

I can smell it already, grassy hops that the carbonation and head throw off like crazy. When you get closer to it the bready malt comes out strongly, making this at least smell well balanced.

Great level of bitterness in the taste with an orange-citrus zing that is different but fitting. Well balanced in the feel and taste, but understandably the hops take charge. Still, a well balanced IPA doesn't mean that there can't be prominent hops, and in fact that's part of the point but it shouldn't get out of control, and this one doesn't. Fairly high carbonation makes it a little lighter bodied than it would have been otherwise. Drink this one cold, because its only negative characteristic is that it gets a slight chemical taste as it warms.