Carolina IPA

Sampled at GABF. Pours amber with some white head. Aroma of hops, some caramel. Flavor is pretty meh: some hops and caramel in a kind of messy weird mixture. Well carbonated.

330 mL. Pours a clear amber with a decent off-white fluffy head with good retention and spotty lacing. Subdued aromas of floral hops and caramel malt. Taste is more nutty and creamy than citrusy and hoppy. Little bit of coating on the palate. Long, sweet finish. I would say this would be very yummy as an amber ale but not as an IPA. Too weak.

Location: A friend picked up some bottles on a trip to NC, drank it 3/18/09

Aroma: Citrus, earthy, but mostly the citrus
Appearance: Mildly cloudy, golden color, minimal head
Flavor: Starts off a little sweet, sweetness leaves quickly, and it finishes with a bit of a bitter bite, nice smoothness of flavor
Palate: Light-medium body, solid, not spectacular mouthfeel
Overall Impression: Not too shabby of an IPA, it’s not a spectacular example of the style, but it drinks pretty well. I enjoyed it.

12oz Bottle Bottled 4/23/08 This was an extra in a recent trade with beavers, thanks a lot Mike! Carolina’s IPA pours amber, a little darker then the usual IPA. The body is clear with a minimal amount of carbonation rising slowly to the surface. A fingers worth of creamy white head formed on the pour and left some chunk lace on it’s settling to a cap. The hops are the first thing to pop showing citric qualities. Orange and lightly sweetened grapefruit are the first two that come to mind along with a squeeze of lemon. There’s an earthiness I pick up here and there but isn’t constantly present. The earthiness goes away as this beer warms up. The maltiness seems to be on the caramel side but is in back letting the hops do their thing. Flavor follows the aroma stride for stride. Sweet orange peel and lightly sweetened grapefruit show up after the caramel sweet start and lead through the finish. A touch of lemon flashes through occasionally adding to the citric hoppy touch. This is a good IPA. I’m really digging the mouthfeel of this beer. Medium body with a good silkiness but a noticeable carbonation that massages the tongue nicely. Leaves a growing bitterness behind. This is an IPA I would have no problem drinking a few at a time. The lower abv (compared to others of the style) and silky mouthfeel keep this beer flowing freely. This is a very solid IPA from Carolina Brewing. Good hop characteristics along with a muted maltiness and high drinkability make for an enjoyable beer. I would buy this often if available in my area. 6/4/08

12oz bottle-pours a rich light tan head and copper color. Aroma is citrus-some lemon/pine hops (cascade, Amarillo) with slight copper and tannin notes. Taste is some medium malt-caramel, citrus-some lemon/pine hops (cascade, Amarillo) with slight copper and tannin notes Thanks decaturstevo for picking this out.

Tap in Durham.

Medium amber pour. A pretty thin, watery IPA without any serious hop edge. Pizza dough, slightly metallic finish. Not impressive though not disastrous.

12oz bottle. Pours amber with a thin, whispy white head. Smells nice and balanced with some citrus hopa and some sweet metallic malts. Tastes about the same, the hops are very tasty, grassy with some citrus and the malts taste sweet and metallic. Medium body, crisp carbonation.

12 oz. Clear copper with a spit of lasting foam that leaves some soapy lace. Sweet and spicy aromas of earthy molasses, tea leaf, light resin and orange marmalade. Flavor is molasses, tea leaf, orange-grapefruit with the peel, pine resin, pecan. Light-medium body is astringently dry.