Upland Dragonfly IPA
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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The tradition of IPA Monday was designed for days like this. I flew to Indianapolis for a conference, and let me tell you — there’s nothing like getting stuck during a layover and chasing gate changes to make you crave the hoppy blast of a good India Pale Ale.
Specifically, the IPA I had a hankering for was Dragonfly IPA, from the Upland Brewing Company of Bloomington, IN. After landing and doing some work at the hotel, I made the 45 minute drive from Indianapolis to meet up with BeerADay.net reader and longtime friend Bruce Paine, where we sat at the bar and relived old times.
The Upland was my watering hole for many years while I attended Indiana University; I moved off campus and into a house mere blocks from the Upland shortly after they opened. I really didn’t drink much beer prior to discovering the Upland, but — as my credit card statements can attest — its proximity combined with fine craft beer gave me a new perspective. Over the years, my crew and I hung out at the Upland so frequently that we became close to many of the bartenders and waitstaff; hanging out after closing, drinking at their houses, developing romantic entanglements, and generally carrying on as if we were reviving television’s “Cheers”. (At least, that’s how we saw it.) So when the Upland started a Mug Club, many of us naturally became lifetime members.
Though I don’t get to use my mug very often, it’s nice to know there’s always one waiting for me.
I asked to have my 22 oz mug filled with Dragonfly IPA, and it poured from the tap hazy, orange and amber colored with a narrow, white head. It had a light floral aroma with less hops than I remember, but the taste brought me home. Dragonfly’s first sip is an uppercut of floral and citrus hops that explode across the tongue before being drowned in a wave of caramel malt. The hops remain present but fade a bit with subsequent sips, acting as a bitter-sweet precursor to the tremendous, sugary malt.
The Upland website describes Dragonfly as:
“Lots of malt and seven hop additions create a malty India Pale Ale with a floral nose and bitter taste! A Hop-head’s Delight!”
Dragonfly used to be too hoppy for me — I never drank much of it during my original days at the Upland, but in recent years I discovered a new appreciation for Dragonfly.
The beer is not nearly as hoppy as my uninitiated tongue had once believed. I’ve experienced some extremely hoppy IPAs so far this year — so it’s quite possible my hop palate has expanded. But I was surprised by how easily the malt overpowered the hops in the Dragonfly.
The beer clocks in at 40 IBU, exactly average for an India Pale Ale — but there’s nothing average about that initial hop blast. The hops appear in a beautiful and thoughtful blend, aromatic and multidimensional. Where some IPAs will fight you, Dragonfly flutters down with a colorful array of tastes and aromas. It’s a sweet and malty IPA, and at 6.8% ABV Dragonfly is strong but not too dangerous.
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