Cisco Brewers - Indie Pale Ale

Pouring a fairly deep reddish amber, Indie Pale Ale gives the impression that it's not going to be your typical IPA which offers just enough pale and light caramel malt to provide a canvas to the big hop blast. No sir, the malt profile here plays almost as big a role in the flavor department as the hops - which are quite expressive, so that's saying something. On the nose, there are big classic Summit and Centennial hop notes of tangerine, grapefruit, and orange. But they're bolstered by some herbal and earthy notes, and in a big way by a significant toasty malt character; in fact, there’s almost a bit of a smoky hint. On the palate, expect the robust malt profile to offer a bit of a spicy rye note and more than a touch of toasty-roasty character, which helps make this an interesting interpretation of the increasingly broad IPA style. The hops pack plenty of punch, too, weighing in at 66 IBUs and delivering a big, pungent, herbal kick along with plenty of citrus zest. This brew makes a great pairing with a grilled spicy smoked sausage. Cheers!

Cisco Brewers was founded when homebrewers Randy & Wendy Hudson crossed paths with Dean & Melissa Long, the founders and owners of Nantucket Vineyard. Wendy had gained experience homebrewing with friends in California, and in 1992 she met Randy after moving back to the island. Intuitively she knew Randy would be a great brewer, so she bought him a brew kit. As he started brewing, he found that his experience working at a local bakery gave him a certain instinct for working with yeast and grain, so after one batch using malt extract, Randy left the guidebook behind and converted a rarely used pasta roller into a grain mill. He developed new recipes that not only he enjoyed, but impressed Wendy too. It was a match made in beer heaven.

Around this time Randy and Wendy met the Longs, who had established Nantucket Vineyard on the western half of the island back in 1981. It was a fortuitous encounter; because the Longs needed help at the winery, and the Hudsons needed a home, Randy and Wendy moved in to a loft above the winery. Eventually, the Hudsons made the decision to start selling beer, and Cisco Brewers was born. Initially, their entire “nano-brewery” as Wendy refers to it existed almost entirely outside in the Longs’ backyard. In 1996 they met Jay Harman, another aspiring brewer who had wanted to establish a brewery on the island until he discovered the Hudsons had beaten him to it. So Jay joined Cisco to help run the operation, and Dean had a new building constructed to house both the growing brewery and winery operation in 1996.

For more information, visit them at www.ciscobrewers.com or call (508) 325-5929.