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Alpine Beer Company OBriens IPA


 Percentile 
96
overall
An India Pale Ale (IPA) brewed by
Alpine Beer Company (CA)

Alpine, California USA

bottling
unknown

on tap
common

Local Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
353.85/5.03.8/5.0Special6.2%94.9Shaker, Tulip P  Stats

Commercial Description:
Our newest beer, “O’Brien’s IPA”, is collaboration between Tom Nickel, owner of O’Brien’s Pub in Kearney Mesa, and myself. Since Tom hadn’t brewed in a while I thought he’d appreciate getting his boots wet again and asked him if he had a beer style he’d like to brew. He immediately thought of a “Blind Pig IPA-like” beer. It weighs in at 6.2% and is a single IPA with some body and malty notes and a bitter whollop.

 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 alexanderj (1393), San Diego, California, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/515/20

Sep 26, 2008  
On tap at O’Briens. Dark gold in color, with a frothy, off white head. Aroma of grapefruit and citrus, with a good dose of caramel/toffe and flowers. Very easy drinking for the style, but still quality in terms of flavor. The floral elements lingered for a while. Grapefruit and floral predominantly, with the floral elements winning out. Slightly sweet with some fruit. Good for the style.

 lb4lb (1499), Austin, Texas, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/58/104/517/20
Oct 14, 2008  
Another growler shared by Charles (thickfreakness. Thanks dude!<br /> Pours a dark clear orange color with a lasting beige head. Smell is big and hoppy and "green" with fresh melon and big pine like hops. Taste is piney, dry and hoppy, fresh, slightly "green", fairly bitter and herbacious. Medium to full mouthfeel and nice carbonation. Overall, this is a fantastic IPA. Really enjoyable beer.


 Bockyhorsey (2056), Mesa, Arizona, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/517/20
Oct 8, 2008  
Sampled from growler thin courtesy of cbkschubert. Good dry citrus vine aroma on the nose. Copper body with white head. Dry grapefruit flavor but had a juicy chewy factor in the mix. Seem to take away some the dryness found in aroma. Cool and crisp on the palate. Good stuff thanks Craig.


 FlacoAlto (2203), Tucson, Arizona, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/514/20
Oct 6, 2008  
Pours into my 25cl tulip glass with an almost two-finger thick, pale tan colored head. The beer is brilliantly clear and is a concentrated copper tinged, rich amber color that shows a perfect, rich copper hue when held up to the light. The aroma is a mix of dank hop character (which is dominant) and fruity, tropical fruit accented citrus notes. Aromas of essential "hemp" oil, light pine tar, and a zesty-green herbal note are lightly balanced by notes of lychee, apricot, candied ruby-red grapefruit, and a touch of vibrant orange blossom. This really is quite the dank hop character, it remains quite smooth, but really captures the essence of sticking your nose into a dime bag quite well (that skunky herbal note is alive and well here).<br /><br /> Lightly sweet, but has an overall effect of being pretty dry. Hints of caramelized malt character add just a touch of grain character along with some light biscuit notes towards the finish. This is clearly an IPA though, as the hops are extremely dominant. Green hop notes, herbal character, hemp oil (though perhaps not quite as distinct as the aroma might suggest), green tobacco notes (this is quite strong actually) and a hop-fruit character that is much reduced compared to the aroma (noticeable notes of lychee and tart grapefruit). This has just enough heft to carry the hops, yet remain quite drinkable; this is as a good IPA should be. This has an expressive, smooth, yet ample bitterness from beginning to end that intertwines itself with the green, dank hop character.<br /><br /> This is perhaps the strongest influenced by its nearest cousin, hoppy IPA that I have ever had. If it wasn’t for the soft citrus components it would likely be too much. Despite the "herbal" influence, this still maintains a smooth, never astringent hop character that helps to make this quite quaffable. The aroma is definitely a bit more balanced a bit more between herbal and fruit components, and I certainly can’t help but wish the flavor did the same; though the flavor is far from objectionable.


edmajorjoe (57), Vail, Arizona, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/103/517/20
Oct 5, 2008  
A pungent, dank smell with a strong scent of herbs. Tastes like it smells. Delicious. No surprises here.


 highibus (284), Vail, Arizona, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/57/103/517/20
Oct 4, 2008  
probably the best smelling beer I have ever had. but it does not continue onto the flavor. decent but not nothing special like the smell. nice but not the best.



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