Saint Arnold Elissa IPA

May 17th, 2011 by Scott in Other Beer Reviews

It’s almost unfair to drink this after drinking Divine Reserve #11. As Saint Arnold’s normal IPA it’s pretty good, but the comparisons to Divine Reserve #11 are inevitable. It’s much more muted than Divine Reserve #11. Heck, it’s more muted than Lagunitas IPA and Abita Jockamo IPA too. That being said, this beer is extremely smooth, especially for an IPA; this style usually attacks your tongue with hop flavors.

I don’t dislike Elissa, but it’s not my favorite IPA either. The smoothness is refreshing in a style that many believe should burn your tongue with hops, but it’s a little too smooth for my taste.

A neat little thing Saint Arnold does is print messages on the inside of each bottle cap. The one on this cap says “Bless you”.