My wife and I have never gone overboard for Valentine’s Day, it is kind of a silly holiday and we’ve never wanted to deal with the craziness and jacked up prices at restaurants, especially now that we have kids. We usually try to make something yummy to eat and maybe add in a small gift. This year my wife bought me a mixed pack of beer and a gift card to a local bottle shop. I obviously married well. One of the beers she picked out was Flume, a double IPA from Battery Steele out of Portland, Maine. Battery Steele has been brewing and selling a variety of beers for almost two years out of their brewery on Industrial Way, one of the brewing hubs in Portland, and they just expanded distribution into Massachusetts. Flume is Battery Steele’s flagship DIPA, brewed with English malts, wheat, oats and a huge portion of hops. Battery Steele Flume is available year round on draft and in 16 oz cans.
Battery Steele Flume pours murky light orange with a small white head. The aroma features a big burst of fruity hops. The flavor is also hop forward, notes of pineapple, grapefruit, kiwi and guava along with just a hint of late bitterness. This is balanced by a light malt backbone, touches of crackers and cereal. Flume is medium bodied and drinks very easy, at 8.0% ABV it packs a little punch but isn’t overdone for a DIPA. The finish is crisp with plenty of lingering hops and a little residual sweetness. This is an excellent DIPA, great hop flavor, aroma and drinkability. It’s nice to have Battery Steele in Mass, hopefully we see more beers from their lineup soon! Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Previous Battery Steele Reviews:
Hoppy Boston 
