Gritty's 21 IPA

I've been drinking this stuff for a month now without writing about it because I just can't take the time. Who wants to slow a great drinking experience by taking notes? Plenty of people, I suppose.

This is definitely an English-style IPA, with toffee/caramel flavors competing with the piney/grapefruit taste of the hops. It's a balanced, complex IPA, and my favorite Gritty's offering to date. A hell of a way to celebrate their 21st anniversary.

I didn't like Gritty's when I first got into craft beer. My palate immediately picked up on the toffee flavors that seems to be prominent in all their brews, and that's all I'd taste until the bitter finish. Besides my immature palate, I think a big problem was that I was buying the beer close to its expiration date up in Old Town, and that's no way to enjoy beer, especially beer in a screw-top bottle.

Drinking at the pub in Auburn definitely changed my opinion, and Gritty's has become a sort of comfort food to me. As soon as I taste a Best Bitter or a Pub Style, I feel relaxed. I'm sure I've has more meals at Gritty's than any other restaurant, never mind any other brewpub.

I do have one qualm with the 21 IPA, though: I'm already done my 4-pack. This should come in 6-packs, or 8-packs, or 12-packs. It's not fair to just leave me hanging like this.