Saltfire A Series of Singularities (Styrian Wolf) and RoHa Brewer's Select (In the Shade) 

• Mike Riedel

This week, we feature beers that are part of a rotating series. This means that they're often experimental and produced in limited runs. Both IPAs feature newer hop varieties with which many beer nerds may not be familiar. Look for them at their individual breweries.

Saltfire - A Series of Singularities (Styrian Wolf): This single-hop IPA features a Slovenian hop variety that can have intense fruity and floral notes, including flavors of sweet tropical fruits and complex aromas of mango, coconut, lemongrass, elderflower and even a touch of violet. The body here is an unfiltered amber hue—the one that, for whatever reason, I associate with IPAs. Just over a finger's worth of sticky white head forms on top after a quick pour. Boatloads of floral aromas burst from the glass. It's both herbal and grassy, and sticky notes of pine and resin go hand in hand with its unfiltered look. A twist of lemon peel furthers its citrus quality.

Pine needles and pithy grapefruit waste no time pasting themselves to the back of the palate, where an intense flash of bitterness asserts itself. It's more raw, leafy and earthy, with plenty of lingering power. On the exhale comes a soft and comforting chewy breadiness. You have to dig through its raw and bitter quality to find it, however. Its botanical quality plays a role throughout, and that's something I enjoy. I'm left sticky-lipped after each sip, and I appreciate it for that. Its 7.3 ABV body was not nearly as full as I expected, and could use some fleshing out to better support its bitterness. There's a soft creaminess in the middle, with an assertive dryness in the finish.

Verdict: Tasty, as expected, but a somewhat different take than I anticipated—more of a west coast IPA that is radiant and bitter. That said, it's relatively hefty for the style, and definitely not something I'd be interested in drinking all night. The malt bill is also a bit of a let-down, but it's one I can live with. All hopheads should absolutely consider this one worth a look, although I'd hesitate to place it near the top of its class.

RoHa - Brewer's Select (In the Shade): This IPA was made with Elani, El Dorado and Rakau hops. It pours a frothy, foamy pearl-white head over a mildly hazy straw-yellow body, with moderate unfiltered sediment. Cracker and pale malt meet a touch of biscuit caramel, and an earthy, spicy, grassy and soft fruit hop profile with a moderate bitterness.

Cracker and caramel appear upfront in the tastes, with a modest sweetness complemented by notes of earthy spice, dried fruit, floral and grassy hops with a moderate bitterness. The balance is fairly even, with a more pronounced body and sweetness from the malt profile than is common for the style. The more unique hop notes of fruit and floral essence call attention to the heightened body, complimenting it well. Despite the variations to the 6.8 ABV profile of this beer, it does not detract far from the expected malt and hop flavor range, as it drinks clean and somewhat dry, like a Pilsner would.

Verdict: I found this West Coast pilsner uncharacteristically balanced in favor of the malt, with a decent malt body and sweetness to counter the expected level of bitterness from the hops. This generates a milder dryness, without dragging down the drinkability. As for the hops themselves, they fit the style well, but I did not find them too different from the hops used in traditional Czech Pilsner beers, providing a touch more sweetened fruit and floral notes to effectively compliment the enhanced body and call it out.

As always, cheers!