I don't really think I'm a salty dog, but I feel a little bitter. After a wonderful night of cask beer at Clive's I picked up a bomber of the new Lighthouse Shipwrecked IPA. Reluctantly, a bottle of Phillips Grow hop also made its way into my fridge. As I was telling Dave (beerinbc), the last thing this town needs in another uber-IPA. There was much hope in my heart that this beer would change my mind. Sartori fresh hopped IPA was OK, but not as good as last year. It's not to say that Sartori was not good, it was delicious. Everything these days is so hoppy; Hop Donkey is a prime example. Hop Donkey was also excellent, but still; can we get something different please. The bottle art on the Shipwrecked was a plus; it is beautiful. It was done by local artist Ken Faulks and is worth a purchase just for the bottle. So how did it taste?

Taste +3

The nose was oddly faint, but you can pick out sweet citrus and pine. It worked well and added great hopes of things to come. The first sip was complicated, so I took another. Let's break this big beer down: the mouth-feel was full and creamy and it provided a warmth in the mouth, but a burning in the gut. If I were to describe the taste it would be unfocused bitterness. Your tongue tingles partly from the hops and partly from the alcohol. The hops were big, but not too big, and centered around the pine and citrus (tangerine). There was also a light dose of cotton candy and wood. Malts were there also but who cares about caramel in a big IPA.

Aftertaste +2

It was long with solvent and coating amounts of pine and tangerines.

Alcohol Content +1 10%

WOOT.

Value 0

I came to this bomber with hope, but left with tears in my eyes. I wanted to like this beer so much. It was Lighthouse's first bomber and was hoping it would be a winner.

Ingame Enhancement 0

Even thought there was Hoarders on TV, there was sadness in my heart.

Overall 6/10

It is so hard to release an IPA in this town, because there are so many good ones already. The Shipwreck is a must try for any hophead. It has all the standard features of an uber-IPA; citrus, pine, sweetness and a lot of them. I wanted so much to love this beer, but it just wasn't there. The number of saddened sighs in this article totaled 24.

What I am looking forward to is the fulfillment of rumors about dopple bocks and barley wines.