471 IPA

Breckenridge Brewery
Denver, CO

Available: AZ, AR, CO, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, Mi, MN, MS, MO, NE, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TX, VA, WI, WY

Breckenridge Brewery was established in the Colorado ski town of Breckenridge in 1990, and now operates two additional locations.

ABV: 9.2
ABW: 7.3
Color: copper
Bitterness: 70
Original gravity: 1104

True confession time: After spending a week in Houston, this Pacific Northwesterner was searching for a hoppy beer. The bartender suggested the 471 IPA, but I opted for a beer I knew would meet my needs. I realized my mistake when the person next to me poured his 471 and the florally, hoppy aroma literally leapt out of the bottle. Besides the assertive IPA nose, this Imperial IPA has a nice balance of hops, malt and alcohol. Each element plays an important role, but the whole thing is nicely tied together in a happy and hoppy ménage a trois. Definitely not a “training wheels” beer for beginning craft beer drinkers, 471 Small Batch IPA is a treat for those with the experience to enjoy it.
- Lisa Morrison

Beware: this beer will beguile you, seduce you and then leave you stumbling. Fresh, juicy hop resins provide the aromatic foreplay, inviting you to wallow in a crisp, clean taste of pine and citrus. But, in spite of all these hops, this is a rather sweet IPA, with a finish that, although dry, fruity and hoppy, is surprisingly subtle. The really astonishing thing, however, is the drinkability. So light and quaffable is this beer that you can easily be caught out and never know just how potent it is until it’s way too late.
- Jeff Evans

Lisa Morrison
Morrison, aka the Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever and wherever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.

Jeff Evans
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and one of Britain's best-known beer writers.

Comments are closed here.