I snagged a can of Caldera Brewing‘s other offering today—their IPA. Along with their Pale Ale, it’s the only two beers they offer in a can, though I wish they would start making some of their other beers available, after looking over their list.

The beer is an aggressively hopped American-style IPA, full of Northwest hops and 6.1% alcohol by volume. The can is more colorful than their flagship Pale Ale, which makes it a little more attractive, I think. More whimsical, too.

Appearance: Clear and copper-orange, with a thick, dense white head.

Smell: Strong and hoppy—full of bright, resiny citrus hops… very floral and woody. Very aromatic.

Taste: Just as hoppy in flavor as in aroma… right up front it’s bitter and lupulin-y, almost powdery with resin and floral essence. Very green and fresh-tasting. Hops are the dominant flavor here, over a stable and subtle malt backbone, which is biscuity and mellow.

Mouthfeel: Slightly light of medium-bodied with lots of bright hop character… a coating of hop bitterness in the mouth—not oily, more dry—and it finishes very clean.

Overall: Once again, you wouldn’t guess this to come from a can. Very aggressively hoppy… I’m almost tempted to say over-balanced in the hops favor, but that’s not really right… the malt stands up well. It’s definitely a hop showcase for hopheads.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of A-. On RateBeer, it scores 3.51 out of 5, and is in their 83rd percentile.