A Firkin of Smells Like...

So a local tavern has "firkin Fridays." I've never partaken. Partook? (Seriously, which is correct? I really want to know). What's a firkin again? A 1/4 barrel, often encased in wood. It contains 72 pints of cask-conditioned ale. Usually a specialty ale left to complete the fermentation process in the barrel, producing a fresh and evolving product. On this particular "firkin Friday" they were tapping a barrel of "Smells Like Weed" by Dark Horse Brewing Company. Obviously an alluring name to many, and when I arrived at 5 minutes prior to tapping time, there was already an eager group of people surrounding said firkin.

It poured surprisingly dark and murky. It looked like very cloudy apple cider with a big sudsy light brown head. The nose was...mild. Pleasant. Floral hops. So far, not too exciting...

Okay, but do not fret! The taste made up for it. This is a good IPA. Strongly floral and citrus hops. In particular pineapple and mango. Strongly bitter hop notes were off-set with just a touch of sweet malts. Then there was a slight banana flavor along with a slight unique flavor I can only describe as "funk." Strong, good flavors for those of us who like strong and bitter IPAs.

"Smells Like Weed" was kind of thick and oily. I asked a couple of guys sitting by me what they thought. Their sentiments: "It doesn't smell like weed, it doesn't look very pretty, but it tastes really good." That pretty much sums it up!

Overall a solid IPA that I would try again. B+