Back Seat IPA from Half Batch Brewing
Half Batch Brewing, from Hendersonville, Tennessee was named as one of the best breweries you’ve never heard of back in 2023 by Men’s Journal…and it’s true, as very few people have ever heard of them. The brewery, which is about 20 miles north of Nashville, has been around since 2017 and uses the motto “Never Half Ass”.
Today I have their flagship IPA, Back Seat (formerly called BS IPA). The hops and grist aren’t listed for Back Seat but it’s supposed to be a big and bold American IPA with a solid 7.2% ABV and 70 IBU. A four-pack of 16-ounce cans costs about $13.
Back Seat poured a deep golden orange color with really nice clarity to it. Topping the beer was nearly three fingers of tannish-white head that slowly…slowly faded away. As it dissipated, it left some thick lacing early on but that thinned out as time went on.
On the nose it was as advertised – big, bold, and hoppy. There were huge notes of pine and dank earthy hops. The malts added some caramel sweetness and a touch of breadiness but, for the most part, it was all hops. Definitely reminded me of the classic West Coast style that took the nation by storm back in the early-to-mid 2010s.
The sip began with a some moderate carbonation fizzle and a big pop of hoppy bitterness. The bitter twinge doesn’t last too long, though, and instead the caramel and malty characteristics quelled the hops and brought a nice sweetness to the beer up front.
There was not nearly as much pine or dankness in the taste as there was in the aroma. Instead, some nice citrusy notes came forward and really made this beer much smoother and easier to drink than I was expecting from the smell. Some pithy grapefruit and lemon were most noticeable, as was a touch of mango.
On the backend there was a little spike of bitterness that tingled for a moment. But, otherwise, the beer ended pretty clean. A lingering touch of grapefruit pith and caramel made it a bit sticky but it wasn’t too bad at all.
I had this beer back in 2020, back when it was 7.6%, and gave it a 3.5 out of five…today, it’s getting a much higher review. They have tweaked this beer over the past four years and it is now quite delicious.
It’s not as massively big and bold as it used to be and, instead, has a very nice balance now. That sweet caramel maltiness blended with that citrusy pop in the middle really made this a crushable, tasty brew.
