Resin

Took the day off Friday and spent it up in the Poconos. On the awful drive back during rush hour, the cops decided to close the Northeast Extension due to heavy traffic and construction.

Having to detour off a highway in an unknown area is one thing; having to detour from a turnpike is another, since exit and entrance ramps are so few. So with my GPS even shrugging it’s shoulders and displaying an “I give up” message, I drove around aimlessly.

But as fate would have it I went right past beer emporium Shangys in Emmaus PA. I’m pretty well stocked-up at home, but I had to stop in anyway, right?

I picked up a case of SixPoint‘s new Resin, which is pretty unique. It’s a 9.1% IPA at 103 IBUs contained in energy drink-shaped skinny 12 oz cans in 4 packs. Even though it would fall into the double IPA category, there’s no description on the vessel. It’s moderately priced and tastes more like a hoppy barleywine. It’s got a deeper copper color than most IPAs, and doesn’t carry as much of the malty sweetness as most.

It’s pretty tasty and way bitter in a good way, but still lacks the hop freshness that the name implies, and is missing the sweetness and depth that most West Coast IPAs have. I’m not complaining, mind you; It’s a damn good beer, especially for the price: Forty bucks for a case. Resin is going to be available year-round, but I have a feeling that it’ll be hard to find for a while around these parts.