Coast Range Merry Maker

Formerly brewed at Coast Range Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Gilroy, California USA

Hoppy aroma with fruit and some malty molasses that makes it not quite ideal. Still a nice aroma. Very nice hazy amber/copper body with very small particalia. Off white to light tan head. Hoppy and bitter flavor; tastes like it smells. Very good. Not sure why this is billed as a holiday beer. I didn’t taste any of the spices that are added to the typical holiday beer. Glad I didn’t wait until December to drink this. Palate is a little disorganized. Molasses, tannins, dark chocolate and some dust. A little odd that I found this in late June at Whole Foods, Redwood City.

Crystal clear mahogonay color with a small off-white head. The aroma was really nice...citrus (grapefruit and lemon,) slight earthy character and some woody tones. The flavor was very similar to the aroma...quite hoppy bitter aftertaste (this thing is definitely a west coast IPA.) Slightly thick, crisp feel with a semi-dry finish. Very nice!

Clear amber color with a small beige head. Nice grapefruit and floral hops aroma. Very strong citrus and floral hops flavors with a touch of honey. Medium thick feel with a crisp dry hops finish. Very good!

This was an excellent west coast IPA. Pours copper with with fine medium head. Aroma is of hops citrusy and floral. Aroma also had lots of malt to balance. This was a nice full bodied IPA with a real nice thick and smooth mouthfeel. Plenty of bitterness present. Aftertaste is bitter and sticks. Very good.

Handpump at the The Englander. Now this is an IPA. Hoppy aromas, of fruit, flowers. The flavor is very intense (maybe due to lack of any carbonation), again of fruit, and it finishes with this typical bitterness. The beer pours a little darker than most IPAs, and it is medium-bodied. This is obviously the 2005 edition by the way.

Another nice winter brew. Seems like im finally finding the good ones after the holidays. Pour is nice and carbonated. Leaves a nice head. Appearance is dark brown. Mouthfeel is smooth. Slightly bitter but nothing to frown about. Flavor is full of hops and perfect for the holidays.

It’s still 2004 (or at least the bottle says the hops are). Time warp. Really nice piney hop aroma. Ruby coppery color, a bit like Pete’s Wicked (current 2007 version). LIghe beige head that sticks. Light lacing. Starts with piney evergreen, some malty sweetness dances around the edge, and then the hops kick that stuff right out of the mouth. It’s hop. Hard to believe it’s only 56 IBU. It’s really, really good. The mouthfeel is medium, and the finish is tangy, piney bitter. It may get better than this, but not often. The preservative quality of hops could not be better proved. Two or three years old and pasteurized. It’s fresh.

Full aroma rife with chunky, viscous maltiness and a sticky, fruity hoppiness. Still quite a hoppy nose for being perhaps a few months past its optimal date. Reminds me in the nose a lot of Drake’s IPA (a good thing). Flavor is quite sweet with a lot of body for a sub-6% beer, but not too much. Flavor proves to be not quite as bold as the aroma, but still good. Very floral and with a quite assertive but comfortable bitter edge. Quite tasty stuff! I’ll be looking for some others from this brewery. Only flaw is that it’s just a touch too sweet.