Fire Station 5 Steam Pumper IPA

Brewed by Portland Brewing Company (Pyramid)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Portland, Oregon USA

The best of 4 Firestation series beers I tried (Blonde, IPA, Port, and Amber). Decent aroma and body, but a little thin. Needs a bit more hops and just a boring kinda beer.

Bottle from Shamrock Liquors in Ashland, KY. Pours a slightly cloudy amber-orange color with a medium off-white head that has decent retention. Thick rings of lacing on the glass. Herbal hops and earthy malt in the nose, along with a bit of pine. Medium-bodied and moderately bitter with flavors of spice and floral hops with a fairly solid malt base. The finish is lightly spiced hops with a lingering bitter aftertaste. Fairly straightforward all around.

This beer is not impressive. I was expecting better from a company out of Oregon. I think this company’s beer is decent, but it could be much better. This IPA is just boring, and very middle of the road. Has a faint smell of hops and crusty malts. The smell just doesn’t have that sharp distinct hop aroma that one looks for in an IPA. The aroma could be better if the hops were better. The beer looks plain. There is not really a head to speak of. The beer is a gold/caramel color, and is what it is. The beer has a decent hop taste to it, but the hop taste turns stale after a couple of seconds. I think they shortchanged on the hops just a wee bit. The palate is too thin for an IPA. I expect some thickness. Overall, not a horrible IPA, if there were a few improvements this beer would be top notch. I wouldn’t try again just considering it is not that great for the price. If it were cheaper, I would drink this stuff all the time.

Pours an amber color with an off-white head. Aroma is of citrus hops, caramel malts, and a little earthiness. Flavor is of caramel malts and citrus hops at first but there isn’t much of a middle taste and finishes bitter from the citrus and pine hops. A little dissapointed in the flavor but still not a bad brew. =

Good smell to it, Orange, sugar, and hops. Medium orange color, lots of carbonation. Good amount of head that faded slowly.The taste is subtle at first, a bit watery, then the bitterness takes over and seems not to fit well with the taste of the beer. Not one of the favorite IPA’s I’ve tasted.

12oz bottle. Aroma: Some lightly sweet maltiness with a touch of brown sugar, citrus and earth hops. Some light floral notes as it warms. Appearance: Light orange in color and slightly hazed. Off-white head was full and foamy with good retention. Fair lacing. Flavor: Sweet caramel-y malt right off the bat. Hop flavor kicks in slightly with notes of orange, light pine, earth, and grass. Medium-high bitterness was a little harsh and lingered. Medium dry finish. Palate: Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Overall: Pretty average. Needed more oomph. Bitterness was way out of line for the level of flavor.

Aroma is fairly strong and hoppy, with a malty undertone and a hint of citrus. Color is clear and coppery-golden, fairly typical for an IPA. Flavor is strong and mostly hoppy, fairly bitter but pleasantly so, with a whisper of orange taste. Smooth but lively, it leaves a faint, bitter aftertaste. Not the best IPA I have ever had, but worth a try if you like hoppy beers.

Light orange color. Grassy citrus aroma. Flavor is light earthy bitterness with some light english malt flavor to back it up. Somewhat thin, but a drinkable mild IPA.