Elissa IPA - Saint Arnold Review
Cascade hops are the first true love of many American hopheads, but the first IPAs were made in England, and undoubtedly without Cascade hops. The story goes that British brewers added extra hops to their beers to make them more shelf stable (hops are antimicrobial) for the long journey to their workers and soldiers in India, hence the name India Pale Ale. But with that added depth of hops also came British malt, something not often seen in American IPAs. Well, we can’t say that anymore, and for this review we’re excited to pop a top on Saint Arnold’s Elissa IPA, a 100% Cascade hopped beer brewed with 100% British malt.
Elissa seems like the perfect concoction to honor the original IPA and the true king of hops, Cascade. Besides Cascade, Elissa is brewed with Maris Otter malt and medium crystal malt. Maris Otter is like the 2-row malt of Britain, but it offers maltier notes than the 2-row often used in American IPAs, so it should add a little more sweetness to balance the bitterness of the Cascade. Saint Arnold also uses reverse osmosis water to make the swallow a little gentler, and they don’t pasteurize this beer, which should help preserve the myrcene from the hops a little better. Stay tuned to find out.
This sounds like a perfect IPA, and it comes in at a very admirable 7.1% ABV and 52 IBU, but the proof, as always, is in the glass before you, so let’s give it a try.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Golden-amber and topped with little to no head. Certainly looks like a raw, unpasteurized beer with all sorts of hop goodness making it cloudy.
On the Nose--Definite Cascade with heavy floral and citrus notes and just a touch of spice. The aroma is actually kinda light (as in, it doesn’t make the eyes water), but Elissa is really inviting.
On the Palate--Right out of the gate, this is a really interesting beer, which is not always the case with many single-hop beers, especially ones that use such a well known hop like Cascade. It has the classic Cascade flavor, meaning it has a classic IPA flavor, but it is well balanced and easy to drink, likely from the use of reverse osmosis water, offering an extra touch of softness to the medium body of the beer. Elissa has the strong grapefruit and floral notes Cascade is known for but it also has little unique touches of sweetness from the use of Maris Otter and, I believe, from the lack of processing, which has preserved the myrcene, adding to the floral depth of the Cascade hops.
Food Pairings: Saint Arnold suggests pairing Elissa IPA with seafood, Indian food, and spicy Thai.
Final Thoughts:
Some beers are just well thought out, and this is due to the dedication of the brewers and the respect for ingredients, however simple they may be. Elissa is one of those beers. From the careful selection of sweet and traditional UK malt to the preservation and care of the Cascade hops, this beer is tended to like the grass at a golf course: everything is in place and taken care of like it should be. And the result is a fantastic beer. If you’re a hophead, get this beer. From the UK malt down to the unpasteurized beer, this one is fun to drink, and well worth your time. Even for a classic IPA, it stands tall among many greats.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew