Hail To The Chief

(STAFF PHOTO: J.T. WAMPLER) Presidential IPA is from Arkansas' own Diamond Bear Brewing Co. in Little Rock.

Presidential IPA hits the middle

Wamp’s Wisdom

Presidential IPA is a year round 5.7 percent alcohol offering from Arkansas’ own Diamond Bear Brewing Co. in Little Rock.
It pours an orange, amber color with a creamy white head that falls to a dense, smallish cover that leaves thick lacing all the way to the bottom of the glass. Aroma is fruity and mild without a lot of hops bite. Taste is of grapefruity hops with a nice malt punch to balance it out. It has a full body and lingering bitterness that should please fans of the hops. According to the Diamond Bear website, it’s brewed with Goldings, Fuggles, Cascade and Amarillo hops to 57 bitterness units.
Overall this is a fine IPA from Arkansas’ only production brewery. There are better IPAs available, but in the interest of supporting the home state brewery, I’d recommend giving this one a try.
Pair with spicy appetizers like green chili cheese dip or hot and sour soup.
Rating: 3 caps

Rico’s Reaction

In honor of Presidents Day — officially Washington’s Birthday observance on Monday, Feb. 21 — we present Diamond Bear’s Presidential IPA.
There are certainly worse ways to commemorate our nation’s commanders in chief than with this decent Arkansas offering, though it’s not available in every liquor store. A recent jaunt through some Springdale locations proved fruitless.
For an India Pale Ale, the Presidential is very smooth and drinkable but with a nice variety of flavors and just a little bit of bite. A very little bit of bite — and there’s the problem. When drinking an IPA, I’m searching for a punch of hops that kicks my taste buds in the keister. On my scale, the Presidential is about as potent as a love tap from Liberace.
Nevertheless, it’s a decent brew to pass the time with, and as a native Arkansan, it’s hard not to root for someone playing on the home team.
Rating: 3 caps

Rating System

One Cap: Put it back in the horse!
Two Caps: Consume only if the other choice is Tijuana tap water or Coors Light.
Three Caps: Acceptable without standing out. The Tito Jackson of beer, if you will.
Four Caps: Nice beer that rises above most but may not deliver enough to be considered great.
Five Caps: Truly great beer that delivers on all counts. A credit to its style. Could only be better if served by scantily clad concubines.
Six Caps: Any five cap beer served by scantily clad concubines.

▲ Beer O’ The Week is a joint production of two beer enthusiasts — J.T. Wampler and Richard Davis.