We’ll call this review of Rising Tide Brewing Company’s Zephyr IPA, Part 2 of my Summer 2014 “travels in Maine” series. Part 1, which was basically a bunch of photos from our summer vacation, posted last Thursday. I say this because there isn’t much of a back story with regards to the purchase of this beer, and you all know how much we love a back story around here. In a nutshell, I saw a four pack of this beer on the shelves at the Belfast Hannaford’s, a beer which I had never seen and had never had, so I bought it. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!

Before we get to my review, here is what Rising Tide has to say about their Zephyr IPA:

Zephyr (n)—a westerly breeze or wind, considered by many to be the fairest of wind direction

Heady like the sweet breath of Zephyrus, our India pale ale is redolent of citrus, apples, and pears, balanced by a touch of caramel. We use malted barley grown by local farmers and add a special blend of Cascade, Centennial, and Calypso hops to create this juicy, hoppy ale.

And now for my impressions of this beer…

• Appearance: Pale orange color. Slightly cloudy thanks to its unfilteredness with an off white and slowly dissipating head of fluffy foam.
• Aroma: Lightly sweet and mildly hopped with hints of honey, tea biscuits, light citrus (tangerines perhaps?), and some pine.
• Taste: Smooth and creamy mouthfeel . Lightly sweet, biscuity malts in the beginning. Gets a touch bitter towards the middle, but not overly so. The finish is crisp and well balanced with sweet and bitter notes that complement each other beautifully.
• ABV: 7.5%

For a 7.5% beer, Rising Tide’s Zephyr is ridiculously easy to drink. It’s so smooth that I might dare call this session worthy, but having more than 3 in a row could prove to be a problem. I really liked this beer! I had a four pack over the course of the week while I was on vacation, and even brought back a four pack to share with my fellow Craft Beer aficionados, cause you know, sharing IS caring. Cheers to you Rising Tide!