Angel City IPA

(22 oz bottle: $3.49 at BevMo in La Jolla, CA) Okay, so when you’re drinking a west coast IPA, but the hops is completely overpowered by off-flavors, you know you really have a problem on your hands. Unlike the infection in their Dunkel which contributed a significant sourness, this is just massive diacetyl. But just like with the Dunkel, this beer smells and tastes like rancid fruit, though here, it’s extremely unpleasant. Really not much point in writing much more, but a beer this brutally awful, so obscenely polluted by off-flavors has to be put on the record. And I’m gonna talk to my manager at BevMo and get this crap pulled off the shelf. It should also be noted that this beer was kept cold the entire time because I stuck my bottles in the cooler as soon as the driver delivered them (and he came straight from the brewery, early in the morning). A definite rerate is in order, but not until the bottling line is cleaned up.

22oz. bottle. Bright orange with yellow tinges. Tall white rocky head. Soapy applejuice aroma. Rather acetic malt flavor dominates, some muted resinous bitter hops. Ruddy, almost burnt caramel flavors in the finish, with some residual sourness. Mouthfeel is medium, somewhat dry. Possibly infected from the suprising flavors.

Note Possible bad bottle. This IPA pours a deep amber color from a 22oz bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is caramel, tart fruits and very herbal. A medium bodied IPA. Malts are caramel and sweet with lots of tart/sour fruit flavors. Hops are herbal and earthy. Nice carbonation. It just that this beer has a weird taste that makes me think it gone off or is a little infected or something. It seems to be a lots more in the English Style IPA, with all that herbal and earthy hops flavor, but it has a sort of lactic aftertaste that does not seem right somehow. I am going to go ahead and rate this with the proviso to get another bottle and re-rate it sometime in the future. I mean I have had worse tasting IPAs than this one. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter and a touch sour.

Re-rate: 22 oz. bottle, also from BevMo LaJolla. Pours a medium clear amber with a small to moderate off-whitish head that leaves spotty lace. Aroma is toasty with light notes of summer fruit and citrus, floral hop notes are evident as well. Flavor is interesting to say the least. This is definitely not a West Coast IPA, with biscuity malts, hints of toffee and toast, citrus notes and floral hops quickly come to the fore along with a bit of dust and earth, leading to a bitter herby finish. Light to medium body and moderately tingly carbonation. This bottle is not infected like the first one I rated likely was. Overall I like the beer, it’s quite drinkable and enjoyable. Still it’s way out ot the IPA box for me, and I agree with others who have cast it as ESB-ish, or certainly VERY traditional English in style. My overall rating went up by .2 for this bottle. 22 oz bottle from BevMo LaJolla. Pours dark amber/copper color with a moderate off-white head that leaves a trace of lace as it dissipates. Caramel malts, tart fruit and citrusy hops in the aroma, maybe just a bit soured?, hmmm. Flavor features more of the caramel malt and just beginning to sour fruit, earthy and herbal notes along with the citrus hops. Medium body and gentle carbonation. Not bad but not what I was expecting. I’ll have to have another and perhaps rerate.

Mostly clear copper body with a thin layer of off-white foam floating atop. An interesting, hoppy aroma of earthy floral perfume, light pine, caramel, whole grains, lemon zest, fresh grass and and a hint of grapefruit. The body is fairly full and robust, with good heft on the tongue. The flavor is decent, with fairly nice balance. The sweet caramel, whole grains, and English-style hop bitterness are pretty enjoyable. Maybe it’s my jaded American experience with lots of Dreadnaught and Ruinination, but this just do much for me. I think it’s a fairly decent--and is probably a well made--beer, but it’s not the best hedonistic experience for me.

Copper tone with a frothy white head, this has more the aroma of a sturdy APA than an IPA - caramel malt with light citrus, resinous, and earthy hops. The flavor has a more intense bitterness to counter the sweet caramel malt. The finish quiets down, leaving a lingering but mild hop bite. A decent brew, but not an exceptinal IPA.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=4889>Binny’s Beverage Depot, Glen Ellyn, IL<font size=-1>

bomber to shaker / had this with a spicy appetizer that consists of fresh baked french bread, creme cheese, and il primo giardiniera... mmm, anyway / this beer really cut the spice, and it was smooth as hell, so i obviously finished it pretty quickly. this beer is most memorable in ts sweetness, which consisted of creamy caramel, and some nuts. there was a bit of pine, and a pinch of citrus, also. a dirty brown color taints this brew... pretty good brew, but not really an IPA.

22 oz bomber. Pours a cloudy medium copper with a white foamy head. Aroma is malts, nuts, and caramel. The taste follows with mild citrus and pine also. Has a good amount of hop bitterness in the finish. Not too shabby.