Angel City IPA

Brewed by Angel City Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Torrance, California USA

Sampled February 2007
Pours with a brilliantly clear, reddish copper color. It is topped by a frothy, initially two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The aroma has an interesting herbal, almost vegetal note to it. It is quite malty as well with notes of caramel, toasted biscuit notes, and chewy, almost malt extract type notes.

The beer is quite smooth up front with just a touch of malt sweetness. The finish dries out even more and has a toasted, almost roasted coffee like note to it. The beer has a solid bitterness to it that is noticeable throughout the brew. There is not a whole lot of hop flavor here; just a light herbal character is noticeable. The malt seems a bit old; notes of caramel, and toasted grain, but also a sort of aged malt character that is both dry melanoid rich. This tastes like a pale ale, though it has more malt character. This really seems a throw back to the days before the American craft brewing hop craze. Drinkable, and fairly decent, but even using English hops this could be greatly improved upon.

22oz bottle. Golden color. White head. Aroma of Red Bull, guarana. No beer characteristics as far as the Aroma goes. Flavor is sour then it follows to a stale loaf of bread. Bad beer taste. Kill yourself.

Body is a rich red with a slight chill haze. The head is a creamy, long-lasting foam. The aroma is a touch of caramel and a bit of canned tea. The flavor has a timid bitterness at the end with little real hop flavor or aroma. A good bit of yeasty fruitiness.

On tap; for the style this is scraping the bottom of the barrel. Aroma was light; some fruit and citrus. Color was amber/copper. Flavor was very bland and there was not much hopping to speak of. Bready and earthy mostly, with some yeast. How can I like there pale lager better than the IPA?

22oz bottle from BevMo! Sorry to say but, one of the worst IPA’s I’ve ever had. Small, fizzy off white head with little retention. Poured a clear golden amber. Very light nose of dank hops and caramel, flavor was much of the same.

Bottled. Pours a dark brown/amber color. Aroma is a little tart, not really very hoppy. Smells kind of off. Slight hoppiness. Not a west coast style. Some roasted caramel flavors. Overly sweet finish. Tastes like an amber. Some alcohol is present.

Lucky Baldwin’s IPA Festival 2005

Mildly hazed orangey hue. Slightly yeasty, fruity aroma. Sweet fruity malt palate, mild yeast, moderate lingering bitterness.

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.