Soul Ride

Start checking out your local liquor stores or hit Fountain Square Brewing Company (FSB) to try their latest bottled release, Soul Ride IPA. Soul Ride is an American IPA with an easy drinking 60 IBUs and at 6.7% abv. We stopped by the brewery to try and get some early insight on how Soul Ride stacks up to the local competition. Fountain Square describes it as "citrus and tropical fruit hop aromas layered above a slight malty sweetness. Light in color and easy on the palette, an IPA that goes down smooth with a crisp hoppy finish."

Soul Ride pours off the tap or out of the bottle a nice light yellow straw color. With big fluffy white head floating on top. The head sticks around producing a light, foamy lace. This is totally an "everyman's" IPA. The aroma is light and fruity. The taste is of mellow citrus fruits and a sweet malt backbone with a great american hop finish. All of this combines for a really easy drinking IPA that still has some great American flavors. I would recommend this on any hot day or to anyone who doesn't like a lot of IPAs with the big bitter flavor.

Fountain square has taken a departure from their standard periodic table of elements label design. The bottle and six pack design has a funky 70s feel to it. The FSB logo is prominently displayed. The art design reminded me a lot of the cool label designs they have hanging over the couches in their brewpub.

All in this was a really approachable IPA. I think that it's a great addition to their already solid list of standards. I give this brew a 3.5 and can't wait to take a 6er to a BBQ. Cheers!

El Duque: It's not every day that you are more excited about the malts and yeast in an IPA than you are about the hops.  This is definitely a byproduct of the modern American redefinition of the IPA. Instead of the bitter punch that Ruination started, Soul Ride picks up where everyone is taking off: tropical and citrus aromas mingled with more pronounced malts. I wish I could say that this beer is killer, but it's not bad, but not exceptional either.  Like most of FSB's beers, its clean, crisp, and insanely approachable.  It pairs well with this late summer we are having.

I agree with The Big Guy, a well deserved 3.5