My wife and I had a date night this evening and went and saw a movie (Planet of the Apes). After the movie we decided to stop at Destihl for dinner and a beer. We had the chicken wings, which were awesome. She had the hefeweizen, which was way, way sour and obviously contaminated. Fortunately, for me, the IPA didn’t seem to be contaminated. The menu said, “copper-colored, crisp and dry india pale ale with high floral, fruity and citruslike hop bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol content and medium maltiness and body, high fruity-ester flavors and aromas.”
Location: Enjoyed the draft beer, in a tall pint glass, at Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works in Normal, IL.
Numbers: 6.5% ABV, ~ 190 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: I was surprised at how red the color was, and would describe it more as brick-red colored than copper colored. It was clear and had a soapy, one-finger head on the top. There was an obvious citrus hop aroma and a hint of graininess.
Taste & Feel: Light-medium bodied and crisp, it had a bit of a carbonation crispness up front. The middle had a primarily grainy flavor- reminding me of some German style beers – with some caramel maltiness. Very quickly the bold citrusy hoppiness kicked in during the clean finish, and lasted well into the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This went good with our chicken wings, but I think the grainy and citrusy flavors would help to highlight a fruit salad, or perhaps a Mexican dish with a nice jalapeno mango salsa on it – mixing the spicy and sweet.
Overall Impression: I was not expecting the grainy flavors in the middle, but it’s a flavor that I’ve come to enjoy. The earthy-caramel flavor gives way to a big, bold citrusy hop flavor. While I enjoy a bold hop flavor, I think I would have enjoyed a more complex hoppy flavor. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good beer.
My Rating: 
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