Through my recent travels of the Northern California area of our beer drinking land. At several different locations I heard about this beer called Eye of the Hawk. I also heard a homebrewer from that area mentioned it to, yet I had never known or ever ventured to try it. It's brewed by Mendocino Brewing in Ukiah CA, for anyone driving the 101 you may want to make a stop. This is sadly one of the few breweries we didn't make it to (and I do mean few). This is one of those deceptive beers, crafted exceptionally well, and I'm guessing these folks have this recipe down pat. It's a light tasting hoppy beer, toward the IPA spectrum if I had to name it. It leaves a nice hoppy aftertaste with a great amount of flavor left on your tongue. The body is incredibly smooth and feels light to the touch. If anything you'd swear you were drinking a very tasty IPA/session beer. Well after doing so let your eye wander down a bit, this seeming super drinkably beer is weighing in at a healthy 8%!! That is indeed a suprise for that level you'd be thinking sweeter taste something like an Imperial IPA, but it's just not there. It is a healthy, hoppy tasting beer that doesn't have the strong sweetness of other IPAs that are in this classification. Like I said well rounded recipe, and a hell of a kick, I see what all those other brewers were talking about when they said this beer will jump up and bite you in the ass if your not careful. That being said it is much easier to find than I thought, I think just about all the specialty brew stores in the area have it, and even some of the more beer savy supermarkets. Yellow label, with a regular drawing of a hawk, I've found it in both 12oz, and 22oz so choose your poison on this one. For anyone whose ever wanted to try a strong IPA, but just doesn't have the palate for the stronger sweetness this is your beer. It's texture, body, the beer itself should be a sculpted piece of art in a museum and I kick myself for never having tried this sooner, and give it my firmest recommendation.
