Every week, we take a look at a craft beer brewed in Florida. Follow #FloridaBeerFriday for more reviews of Sunshine State brews. Get out there and #DrinkLocal.

This week I'm taking a look at one of the core distributed offerings from Coppertail Brewing Company, its Free Dive IPA. I've previously highlighted Coppertail beers, including Night Swim porter and Wheat Stroke. 

The Tampa-based brewery opened in 2014, fronted by area home brewer and "reformed attorney" Kent Bailey and professional brewer Casey Hughes, who previously worked for a decade at Flying Fish in New Jersey. In the few short years it's been open, Coppertail has been able to go from local brewery to packaging its beers for distribution.

This IPA comes wrapped in the usual bizarre yet incredible artwork, set upon a black label. It's easy to spot a beer from Coppertail, so kudos to the design team. Produced to be "perfect for a day on the water," it clocks in at 5.9% alcohol by volume. 

Doug Fairall

It pours a straw pale yellow color, with a mild amount of white foam that settles a bit but lingers. Aromas are strong and give an initial guess to the direction of flavor: grape, melon, watermelon, tangerine... it all comes bursting forth. Taking a sip, I'm surprised by the lighter and drier mouthfeel, pine bitterness, and toasty cracker-like flavors that emerge. I was expecting more malt sweetness based on the aroma, but it delivers itself as a beer influenced by its brethren out in California. 

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Free Dive IPA is available in 12-ounce bottles across our area. I picked up mine at Beer Trade Company in Delray Beach.

So what Florida-made brew are you drinking today? Tweet it out with the hashtag #FloridaBeerFriday.

Coppertail Brewing Co. is located at 2601 E. Second Ave., Tampa. Call 813-247-1500, or visit coppertailbrewing.com.

Doug Fairall is a craft-beer blogger who focuses on Florida beers. He is a Certified Beer Server and has been a homebrewer since 2009. For beer things in your Twitter feed, follow him @DougFairall and find the latest beer pics on Clean Plate's Instagram.

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