El Toro IPA

Brewed by El Toro Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Morgan Hill, California USA

Bottle. Very attractive golden color. Aromas of pine, grapefruit and lots of hops. Flavor was unbelievably crisp with a big, pithy bite. Resinous. Long lasting bitter aftertaste.

Very attractive, magnifying copper with a 3/4" frothy orange-tinted head. Sweet aromatic assembly of hop bouquets, pineapples, ruby red grapefruit, orange-mango citrus cooler and a precursing bitter persona. Dry, chafing and far reaching bitterness titters with flavor contributions from papaya enzyme powder, freshly squeezed grapefruit and amarillo. Hints of citric oranges and mild amaretto join a dynamic combo of pine sap and freshly cut grass. Bold, medium-to-full mouth feel. Clinical balance expertise is exercised in all areas. Dry, palate scraping bitterness that lingers long into the night. Fantastic IPA.

12 oz bottle, from Brennan’s in Brookfield, WI. Cloudy, nearly opaque orangy apricot color, smallish creamy lasting white head...nice fruity, floral nose, touch of orange & apricot, bit of dogwood pungency...very sharp, consistent hoppiness from first to last, with light fruitiness to keep some balance...on the whole, just a touch too agressive for perfection, but an excellent example from a surprisingly little-known brewery.

If I’m in California eventually there is one thing I crave, an over the top west Coast IPA. El Toro IPA was the Golden Spike for me during my last visit. Purchased and consumed @ 99 Bottles for four bucks this bottle had a piney nose, citrus bitterness and sweet malt backbone. Easily reminded me of my West Coast fave, SNCA. If they served El Toro IPA at Coalinga State Hospital I’d be booking a room there for the next 25 years.

Draft. Orange amber color with a low whitish head. Citrus aroma. Nice grapefruit flavor with some smooth malt backing and good bitterness. Good IPA

On tap into a Fosters Lager glass, of all things. A real nice West Coast IPA that was much easier to drink than anything bottled that I found from El Toro. Orange and glistening with a thin head. Strong piney nose with a slight sweet caramel malt to back up the citrusy taste. Leaning heavily towards the hops, this beer finished dry and toasty as it warmed. Yum.

On tap at Jacks at Fishermans Wharf, SF. Clear golden with an orange tint. Thick head laces the glass completely. Big piney hop nose with a light citrus note. Medium bodied and smooth palate. Nice hop flavors with malt in the background. Lots of hops and a nice bitter finish. A pleasant surprise!

Bottle into Chimay glass. Sometime in 2004. Characteristic west-coast hoppy smell with grapefruit, but with a bit of vanilla. Deep, hazy orange in glass; modicum of head produces nice, durable tracings of lace. Strong acidity, very grapefruity; smoky hops are bitter on the finish. I like how the smoky bitterness emerges from the cauldron of sweet sour at the beginning. Nice firm body; mouthfeel is overall good, except that the finish becomes metallic at the end. Very very solid IPA.