Vicious, the American Wheat IPA offering from North Peak Brewing, is one carbonated little IPA.
Be observant when pouring, it took me three separate pours due to the aggressive head that kept coming back.
Once you finally get the whole bottle poured you will smell strong pine and hints of citrus, I think that the citrus is certainly grapefruit, but reasonable minds may differ.
The coloring is opaque peach; a true unfiltered beauty.
I have a hard time getting the wheat taste out of this beer, most of the wheat that I get is right as the beer hits the mouth, there is a split second of sweet. However the wheat is quickly overtaken by the hops. Holy cow! Hops for days with this beer. The floral hops that are used provide a pleasant, crisp kick to the taste buds and alert them that this beer is not done with flavor yet!
The first hoppy flavor unmistakably provides you with the citrus flavor that was smelled upon pouring. After that your mouth will be treated to a soft caramel blanketing by another style of hops. Clearly this beer was made to refresh and please; two things that it accomplishes with each sip.
The stubby bottles that Vicious comes in are cool in a nostalgic way. The lycanthrope that graces the label pays homage to the dogmen that roam the woods of Northern Michigan. Not that that makes the beer taste any better, but it is cool to see a nod to local folklore.
This is a great beer with any sort of burger, pizza, steak, sandwich or anything for that matter. I prefer to drink them at room temperature.
-J
