About a month or two ago I was in a bottle shop looking for some new stuff to try. I was already a bit over the amount I would have liked to have spent but that is something I am used to at this point. I came across cans of Gun Hill Brewing Company's Roll Call East Coast IPA. I picked one up, pondered buying it for a moment, then set it down and said “next time” to myself. A few days later, a friend of mine said he had this fantastic IPA from Gun Hill and my heart sank. I rushed over that day to the same bottle shop to find the cans long gone. Since then I have waited for the day I would finally cross paths with it again. I am happy to report that day finally came last week. Call it a holiday miracle or just the next time my area got distribution of Roll Call East Coast IPA, whatever works for you. This time I would not leave it on the shelf. I bought it immediately and felt its miraculous return would make it the perfect beer for this week's review.
Out of Bronx, NY, Gun Hill Brewing Company's Roll Call East Coast IPA #3's aroma blew my mind the second I opened the can. The bold aromas of passion fruit, pineapple, apricot, tangerine and mango were practically jumping out of the can. Before I even took my first sip of this hazy golden orange IPA I knew I was in for a treat. Then the first sip of Roll Call EC #3 confirmed the previous statement. This beer is absolutely fantastic! Passion fruit, along with tangerine, pineapple, mango, orange peel and a touch of grass were all up front before a dry, bitter, spicy, pine finish. I liked everything about this beer. The fruitiness of the hops are front & center, which I thoroughly enjoy. The malt provides just the right amount of sweetness but rightfully takes the backseat and allows the hops to shine.
As I made it farther into my glass of Roll Call EC #3, I became a bigger fan of it. In Rochester, NY, the most popular IPAs distributed here are by Grimm Artisan Ales. Now, I am not saying that Roll Call East Coast IPA #3 is better than a Grimm IPA(although in some cases I think it is), I think it merits being mentioned in the same conversation. Then again, we can save that debate for another day. I just personally feel Gun Hill's Roll Call EC IPA is one of the better IPAs I have had recently. To make things even more appealing, it is less expensive than Grimm and that doesn't hurt either.
Overall I would rate Roll Call EC #3 a 4.5/5. Don't make the same mistake I did, pick up this beer immediately!
Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional
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Happy Holidays! Thanks for reading. Sláinte!
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