Coronado Islander Pale Ale (IPA)

Brewed by Coronado Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Coronado, California USA

In short: A full body, crisp and refreshing fruity IPA. Great stuff.
How: Bottle 22oz, consumed fresh soon after purchase on the west-coast. Tasting session with Montreal crew
The look: Partly cloudy orange body topped by a small white head
In long: Hoppy fruity nose of citrus and oranges. Taste has a good amount of crisp caramel with a whole lot of fruity citrusy/orangy hops. Bitterness is very sharp without being aggressive. The beers has a nourishing body but comes through as very clean and crisp. Another great West-Coast IPA. Why is it that most great very hoppy American IPA are made by West-Coast breweries? But it came to me, I think I known their secret. To make a very hoppy IPA the secret is to use a lot of hops! These guys are geniuses.

22 oz bomber from doubleO. Poured a nice looking orangey/amber with a slightly larger then average fluffy white head that had some lasting and lacing power. Aroma is citrus heavy hops, grainy bread, sweet caramel, dried floral hops. Medium bodied with average carbonation and a super bitter slightly chalky finish. Flavors of citrus rind, burnt caramel, flaky bread, pink grapefruit. This is one of the uglier bottles I have seen in awhile so I thought this beer was gonna be lousy but was I wrong, really really good stuff.

22 ounce bottle from Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a clear amber color with a medium-large frothy, creamy tan head. Good head retention and mottled lacing. Nice looking beer. Nice caramel, toffee and slightly nutty maltiness supports a citrus and floral hop aroma with a bit of resin and herbalness. Bitter citrus hop taste with a twinge of resin and wood and a lot of grapefruit in the finish. Not as well balanced as the aroma, but still good. Medium bodied and a bit of a lingering hop burn. Decent IPA.

This is a nice rendition of a California IPA. The pour is clear and has a nice head retention. The color is a wonderful Deep Gold. The nose is that of citrusy hops and a slight hint of spruce. The flavor is extensive hops with just enough maltiness to balance out the flavor profile and spare the palate. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy. A very tasty IPA!!

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of hops, pine, grapefruit, hop oil, light earth, slight tropical fruit, and a hint of caramel. Poured orange/amber in color with a medium-sized, dense, rocky, off-white head that lasted throughout. Slightly cloudy. Slightly sparkling. Full of tiny particles throughout. Excellent lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and light to medium bitter. Tastes of hops, caramel, pine, light grapefruit, hop oil, resin, and slight tropical fruit. Medium body. Medium body. Oily texture. Soft to average carbonation. Lightly sweet, light to medium sweet, hop, pine, grapefruit and caramel finish.

Bottle courtesy of radhoesbro, who’s a great trader. Pours clear amber with a fluffy white head. Peppery nose, bitter pine and some sweet citrus hops shine. Big flavor. Nice and well balanced, a big bitter push from the pine, grass element, and a grapefruit element with some residual sweetness to balance it. This is just the kind of IPA I like.

Drank fresh on tap at Dry Dock. Golden color, big hoppy, citrusy and piney nose. Hop bomb start and then a touch of malt hits the back of the throat to balance things. This is so sweet. Nice fragerant bitter finish. Yummy

Bottle picked up next to the brewery. Pours a translucent gold with just a hint of orange. Cream colored bubbly head and a nice flow of bubbles from the bottom. Aroma of pine and citrus, and a touch of funky sweat. Very clean and refreshing, and virtually no sweetness, then a very sharp bitter. This is actually a bit harsh and almost like a DIPA. This bitterness actually lingers a bit longer than I’d hope for the style and I feel like just half this bomber has killed my palate.