Swamp Ape IPA brewed by Florida Brewing Company - Melbourne, Florida   

Florida Beer Swamp Ape IPA is an Imperial India Pale Ale. The fresh and lively hop character is derviced from using 5 distinct varieties of hops: Tettnang, Centennial, Chinook, Cascade, and Amarillo. This beer has an intese hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma balanced by complex alcohol flavos, moderate frutiy esters and a medium malt character from the balance of 2-row, Europ and cherry wood smoked.
 
 

What is a Swamp Ape?
Firsthand accounts describe an intense beast with a potent aroma and bite. Proof that the elusive mystery monster exists? Or proof that brewing with five distinct varieties of hops creates an unbelievable, relentlessly hopped Indian Pale Ale? One taste and you'll know. Swamp Ape is real.

Review from Beer Advocate
According to the pamphlet they had at the table, the malt used in this beer is 2-row malt, Europ, and Cherry Wood Smoked Malt; the Hops are: Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Tettnang.

Apparently they brew this with Rock Sugar, so that the yeast "releases a bunch of esters." This seems like an odd tactic, but it makes for a unique beer.

The appearance is a deep gold/amber with a decent head. The smell is not too strong, but the bottle I have now is pretty cold, which may be suppressing it.

You can taste the esters, but I think it works pretty well. The sweetness is balanced out at the end by the characteristic Cascade grapefruit.

The mouthfeel is a bit thick for my taste. It IS an imperial IPA, and the mouthfeel is probably the only point where you can tell. The taste and mouthfeel don't mesh too well.

Overall, I'm glad I grabbed this beer. The sweet and bitter balance pretty well, but you expect a bit more bite from an imperial IPA with this thickness. If it had a bit less gravity, it would be a great mild-imperial IPA, like 90 Minute.