Fort George‘s Vortex IPA was a pickup because I was recycling a lot of bottles and that helped take the sting out of the price point. Granted, at $12, a four pack is approximately about what one would pay for a pint, so that’s the upside: the downside is that part of the reason I buy a beer in the store is that it costs less than when I ask a bartender to serve it to me.
That said, this is a pretty damn good beer. The hoppy qualities are there in the nose and at the end but they are not overwhelming and the malt sweetness plays a large role in keeping this beer on track. It’s not a traditional IPA–the hops are still too prominent for that–but it’s definitely a good one that brings a nice bitterness to finish everything off.
Oddly, the clarity seems to be off; just like with the lager I had. I don’t notice anything weird about the beer from a flavor profile but to see a haze in there just seems strange. Sure, if it happens in a beer I make myself that’s kind of expected: this is work done by professionals. Maybe a perfectly clear ale isn’t as important as I might have been lead to believe?
A pint for Dionysus 
I find a few craft brews that are hazy now and then. I think some don’t mind as much as the bigger guys. Maybe it reminds them of their homebrew days?
Could be. In this case, since both beers came from cans, maybe they never expected anyone to pour it into a glass?
I would like to think that in an ideal world brewers would assume everybody was drinking their beer out of glasses no matter what method it gets to them.
I see what you mean, but I’m not sure there’s a long history of pouring a beer from a can into a glass. Maybe because the technology of canning gave the beer an off flavor that, if just left in the can, was easier to ignore?
It’s not like Ft George made bad beer, either; I was just surprised at the visual presentation.