Name: One Plain Slice
Brewer: Knotted Root Brewing Company (United States)
Style: American IPA
ABV: 7.2%
Review Year: 2021
One Plain Slice is an “Unfiltered IPA” brewed with Simcoe and Amarillo hops by Colorado’s Knotted Root Brewing Company. This beer is dedicated to the spirit of New York City and all the old-school pizza joints the brewery has grown to love. No pizza was harmed in the making of this beer.
Knotted Root Brewing Company is a small, artisan brewery from Nederland, Colorado, and is known to combine elements of traditional Belgian brewing with the spirit of American experimentation. This brewery from the quaint mountainside of Colorado focuses on unfiltered hoppy ales, smoothie-style sours, and rustic farmhouse ales.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as an American IPA (21A) in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Hazy straw with a foamy white head. The aroma melded pineapple with resiny and dank notes. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Hop-forward flavor profile: unsweetened pineapple and lemon peel up front with supportive savory/ umami and spice-like qualities. Assertive bitterness manifested as piney and resiny. Very dry finish (no sweetness); left the palate dry, chalky with lingering pineapple and citrus peels.
THE VERDICT
One Plain Slice, which was billed as an “Unfiltered IPA” and benchmarked as an American IPA, is a dry, hop-forward, hazy, and bitter IPA with dank and umami qualities. This IPA may look like a New England IPA (21B) (NEIPA) with its hazy straw color, but lacks the juicy qualities the style is known for. Likewise, One Plain Slice deviates from a typical NEIPA with its very dry finish and assertive bitterness. The dank aroma and savory/umami impressions were quite interesting and made this beer memorable. Pair this with pizza.
Recommended Readings:
- The best Colorado beers and breweries in 2020 and what to watch in 2021 (Colorado Sun, 2020)
- Brewer’s Perspective: West Coast Haze (Craft Beer & Brewing, 2020)
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