Cooperstown Back Yard IPA

Brewed by Cooperstown Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Milford, New York USA

Bottle. Light clear orange with a large fluffy white head that lingered for a while and left some pretty lacing. Strong citrus and floral hop aromas. Taste is a nice balance of caramel malt and citrus hops, with orange flavors dominating. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Rich malt, alcohol, hops are kind of grassy. Clear gold body, thin head. Flavor is rich (almost bock-esque) with too much alcohol. Some bitter grapefruit and cotton candy. Meh.

04.23.05 Tap NY. Golden pour, middling head. This is really pale for an IPA and my initial thought is that it might not be so malty. Some buttery notes on nose, no hops detectable. Flavor is wet grains, butter, bland otherwise. Nothing about this beer would have caused me to guess IPA in a blind tasting.

this was a good drinking beer -- not to overpowering - ubt hoppy enough to have a bite

(bottle) Pours pure gold and takes on a shimmering orange hue in the glass that is a little opaque. Head is small and white, and diminishes quickly. Smells lightly of flowers with a little honey-like sweetness mixed in. Body was very light, and felt dry and a slightly watery. Taste was moderately bitter initially and ended with a pleasent sweetness. Until it warmed up, a lingering bitterness constituted the aftertaste. This beer would be just right on a hot summer day.

2004 bottle at Julios Spring Beer Fest, 4/02/05. Yellow-orange, slight copper tinges and a small, rapidly receding white head. Aroma of fruity orange jam, sweet peaches and light caramel sweetness. Flavor is very fruity, lightly citrusy and has a strong malt presence of caramel and honey sweetness. Body seems a bit too light for my tastes, with very low carbonation and much thinning on the end. Still, the flavor is grand, with no over-the-top bitterness and a good focus on both malt and hops.

12-oz. bottle from a $6.99 six-pack purchased at a specialty beverage store in Central New York. Nice hoppy aroma, but not overpowering. Golden, mildly-cloudy pour with a root-beer-float-type head and lacing that sticks around for the ride. Pleasantly-bitter hop flavor is quickly and efficiently balanced by a wave of candyish undertones. This brew is not as high in alcohol content (which seems to translate to higher ratings in the eyes of many here) or as over-the-top-hoppy as some other IPAs out there -- but it grabs your attention as a good IPA should. "Lingering bitterness" as the commercial description boasts. Overall: very satisfying and session-worthy, and as good as any IPA I’ve had at this price point. Will definitely buy it again -- although it does seem to lack just a bit of the elusive "character" (alcohol content?) present in some of the best (and pricier) of the style.

Original review from bottle. Pours orange with a generous head that lingers. Aromas of hoppy malts and pepper. Taste is strong and bold as a good IPA should be.

Rerate based on a draught sample at the brewery. This one’s even better fresh with some wonderfully balanced citrus and sage elements on the nose. Taste is of earthy hops, grass, lemons, oranges, sage, some spices. Great beer.