Hopworks Urban Brewery - Ace of Spades IPA

Brewery: HUB

Beer: Ace of Spades IPA

ABV: 9.5%

IBUs: 100+

Where: Firefly Fine Wines and Ales

I received this beer as part of a gift.  I have been wanting to try it for sometime so was pleasantly surprised.  Before I get to what's inside the bottle; the bottle itself deserves some credit.  I love cool beer labels.  This one is indeed that.  The beer gets it's name from the band Motorhead's song and album of the same name - Ace of Spades.  Kick-ass label but still very informative as well.  I like when breweries provide details.

So, now to the beer itself.  I personally thought it was great.  It poured into a dark yellow/golden with mild cloudiness.  The head was average in size, yellow-white with a light rocky texture.  Great lacing with this beer.  Aromas of citrus, flowers and herbs balanced by a toffee/butter/woody tone.  The mouthfeel was lively and the texture seemed oily or slick.  It went down quite nicely and faster than I expected.

This beer currently rings in an impressive A- with Beer Advocate for 46 reviews.  It's trophy shelf currently holds the Gold Medal for IPAs at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival.

This is a great beer with a pretty strong hop presence, but still levelled by a nice malt balance.  Only available until late May, so grab them now!

Cheers