Avery's Pacer IPA

As most beer aficionados know by now, the India Pale Ale  style originated when English brewers, in order to ship their product to their troops in India, increased the alcohol count and the amount of hops, as preservatives. In American craft beer circles, India Pale Ales (IPAs) originally had quite high IBU hop bitterness) ratings, as well as high ABV (alcohol by volume). Eventually "IPA" became more of an overarching "brand" than a strict style descriptor. Anything that wasn't a stout or porter seemed to have "IPA" in the name, beers that could have been better described as pale ales, or ambers.

Pacer IPA from Avery brewing, should probably have been styled a pale ale with its 4.5% ABV and only 25 IBUs. Nonetheless, if we set aside the inappropriate name, Pacer is a pretty decent ale. It pours a lemonade yellow topped with a pinky's width of brilliant white foam. There's a melange of flavors that float around: lemon, mango, papaya, orange zest, pineapple. There's a little bit of pine, but very subdued. I'd recommend Pacer IPA as a summer ale - 7/10 on the IGB scale.