The Blue Tarp brewing company of Decatur, Georgia, may not have one of the world’s most exciting web pages, but they do brew some mighty fine beers indeed, my friends. A trip to their website to research the latest beer I’m enjoying from Blue Tarp, Cascade Killa IPA, yielded a minimalist page with bare-bones descriptions of their 7 core beers, and no photos or graphics. That’s OK, though. Pop open a few Cascade Killas and you can imagine all the scenery you like.

Heretofore, I’ve only been able to drink Blue Tarp on draft, either at Taco Mac or in a growler from Stout’s. Cascade Killa IPA, however, is the first beer I’ve sampled from Blue Tarp in cans (I have a can of their wonderful Funk Weisse in my beer fridge as well). Good to see these guys canning, as I’m a fan of Blue Tarp, you see.

From the label:

An IPA brewed as an homage to craft beer’s O.G., the Cascade hop!

A simple yet hefty malt bill allows the hops to be the true star here. Copious amounts of Cascade hops late in the kettle and an even heavier hand when it comes to dry hopping this beast ensures the nuances of Cascade’s flavor and aroma dominate this larger than life IPA. Although some may believe a beer this big to be a Double IPA, we don’t subscribe to such a philosophy.

Yikes! I do. But I won’t hold that against you, Blue Tarp.

Blue Tarp Cascade Killa IPA has an alcohol content of 8% by volume with 84 IBUs. It runs $9.99 for a 4-pack of 12-ounce cans, which works against me buying it again. This is the second double IPA I’ve had from Blue Tarp, the other being Mother Hoppin’ Double IPA.

Blue Tarp Cascade Killa pours to a murky dark orange color with a moderately thick foamy head and an herbal tea-like hoppy nose with gentle hints of citrus. Taking a sip, the beer is thick with chewy caramel malt up front (LOVE that!), then full of herbal, earthy green tea aroma and flavor. It’s gently resinous with a hint of citrus but mostly very tea-earthy from the late Cascade additions and dry-hopping. There’s a balancing bitterness in the finish, and again it seems like the didn’t skimp on the late hop additions. A distinctly green tea herbal character lingers after sipping.

A VERY nice beer indeed, a delicious Cascade bomb, which reminds me of Anchor Double Liberty Ale in some ways, though not quite as well done a beer as that one in my estimation. I would give it 4 stars overall for the category and hedonistically, with a half star off for the high price. Still and all, certainly a beer I would buy again.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

(G)=Growler

 

 



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