Easy Jack - Session IPA from Firestone Walker

[Kealia]

This poured with Kolsch-like clarity, wow.
Very low carb, which I find appropriate for an IPA.
The aroma is a blast in the face just like Stone's GoTo IPA. Fruity, melon, and I'm pretty sure there's some Nelson Sauvin in there. Here is what they list on their site:
Bavarian Mandarina, Hallertau Melon, Blend of New Zealand, American Mosaic

Taste: Crisp, hoppy goodness. I can't say much more or be any more descriptive than saying it was like hops were making love to my mouth.

Mouthfeel: Light, much like Stone's offering IMO. And I really liked Stone so that's a plus. I think FW also hit this out of the park.

Since I have some Stone GoTo on-hand as well I'm going to do a blind side-by-side later this week to see which one I like best, but I would be really happy drinking either of them.

West Coast in the house!

[BlackDuck]

Wow...that looks so good!!!

[mashani]

OK, now I need to go find some of that...

Thanks dude.

[Beer-lord]

I'm gonna give Go To another shot this week but I still feel, while the hops are there in abundance (that's a good thing) it tasted a bit thin.
I'll give the FW a shot when I'm out in Cali but by then, I hope to have finished my session version.

I've yet to try something from FW that I didn't like so what you mention doesn't surprise me at all. Great brewery.

[Kealia]

They do crank out good stuff so I'm guessing you guys will like it, too. There's nothing to NOT like.

Paul, I'll compare and contrast later this week but I think you might find this to be too light in terms of mouthfeel for your taste just like GoTo. Going only from memory here, but I think they are very similar in that regard.

[mashani]

I don't know the distribution, but "Fat Heads Brewery" has a session IPA out called "Sunshine Daydream" which has a bit more body then the Stone. It has some light crystal and carapils in it I think. It's got simcoe, citra, centennial and some experimental hop. It's tasty.

[Gymrat]

I though IPAs were supposed to be a little thin. That is why the brewer of Pliney the Elder says to add sugar to the recipe. That's also why I have always used Nottingham yeast in my IPAs.

[mashani]

Depends on the type, an East Coast or British IPA can be pretty malty, IE try some Victory Hop Devil sometime which is brewed with what amounts to a German Festbier base - but yes, sugar to dry out an IIPA is very appropriate especially in a West Coast version.

The thing about the beers folks are complaining about is not just that they are a bit thin comparatively speaking, but that they have a body that is closer to BMC then most other craft beer. They taste 1000% better then BMC, but still that body is bugging people it seems. It doesn't bother me personally, but I brew lots of light bodied beer in the summer.

[Beer-lord]

I think mashani has my feelings down pretty well regarding Go To. I've thought about it and I think I'm just expecting more from Stone on this. No way did I say it's a bad beer, heck, it's hoppy as hell! But, I was expecting a more balanced beer than I tasted. To think it's less than 5% ABV and is that good is more than I can ask for.

[Kealia]

I tired a bottle of this and a bottle of Stone's GoTo IPA head to head the other night. The aromas are similar, but the GoTo is a bit stronger and a bit more floral than Easy Jack.
The colors are almost spot-on the same. You would almost swear they were poured from the same bottle if you didn't know better.

The big difference isn't in the way the beers start, it's in the way they finish. Both have a nice hop-bursted flavor but the GoTo finishes dry and with some bitterness while EJ finishes smoother with a malty presence. I liked the aroma of the GoTo better but the finish of the EJ better. Given the choice, I would go with EJ by a slight margin but would be happy to drink either one on any given day.
My buddy was just the opposite. So call it:
Easy Jack: 1
GoTo: 1