 FlacoAlto (2482), Tucson, Arizona, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Sep 12, 2009
A solid pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet Tulip produces an almost three-finger thick, lightly amber tinged, off-white colored head that leaves some layered lacing patterns on the sides of the glass as it slowly subsides. The beer is a nicely red-tinged, full copper color that shows a brilliantly clear, burnished, bright, red-copper color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of citrus hops that are not quite polished; perhaps tempered a bit by a cracker-like pale malt aroma that plays a distant secondary role in the nose. Specifically notes of Meyer lemon, ruby-red grapefruit zest, a touch of lychee, and some kumquat notes all contribute a clean citrus hoppiness. The herbal hop notes are really not here at first, but after a bit of time a tempered overlay of hemp oil herbal character becomes noticeable; it provides just enough hop-stench to balance out the otherwise too smooth hop fruitiness. Deep, focused ruminations of the nose bring out more of an herbal, dank character as well as a touch of supporting, clean, pale malt toastiness that would be missed in a cursory pass at the aroma. The nose will be quite enjoyable to any hop lover, I know I am definitely enjoying it.
A nice bitting bitterness gets bigger as the beer rolls across the tongue, it seems to get tempered in the finish by a touch of palate cleaving, smooth malt character. While the beer was pretty dry as the first sip hit my tongue, the middle picks up a light malt sweetness which accentuates ample hop fruit character; this sweetness, though it does fade some, sticks around into the lingering finish. The flavors of this beer are clean and bright; there isn’t much of a rustic malt or hop edge here and I would guess this is somewhat filtered. There is a nice herbal hop edge here that is a bit more noticeable than in the aroma. Notes of pine play a significant role here but still play second fiddle to the fruity hop notes of lychee, tangerine zest, kumquat and ruby-red grapefruit notes. This is definitely quite quaffable; there is just enough body to carry the hops, but it is still dangerously quaffable.
This is certainly not a unique take on the style (but it is an IPA, I am not sure one really wants unique), it is entirely enjoyable. It is perhaps a touch too refined in its bright, clean interpretation of loud hops and supporting malt, but that doesn’t keep it from being a great example of the style.
darn1207 (668), Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 15/20 |
Dec 31, 2009 From an old rating note: 12oz bottle. copper pour with small head. citrus hop aroma. nice mix of malt sweetness and grapefruit hop bitterness. need to try again for more complete rating.
DWestrick (247), Ft Wayne, Indiana, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 6/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Dec 27, 2009 bottle. nice ipa strong in alcohol with distinct ipa characteristics. very tasty
Hudspart (374), Hudsonville, Michigan, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Dec 26, 2009 12 oz bottle: Pours golden with no head. Aroma of sweet hops. Thick palate with hoppy taste, but not too hoppy. Not bad. Average IPA.
drfabulous (1283), Columbia, Missouri, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 15/20 |
Dec 24, 2009 From RB Secret Santa (whose RB name I do not know). Golden body. Light floral aroma. Fruity. Strong bitter finish. Very enjoyable.
cmillward (440), Orlando, Florida, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 24, 2009 Solid balanced IPA. Like most Great Lakes stuff, this is enjoyable, but not over-the-top. Golden body with an off-white head with some slight lace. Nose is citrus and floral hops over some nice malty notes. An underlying bitterness throughout the flavor with some oranges and sweet bready malts. Nice dryness from the hops offsets the sweetness. Very drinkable.
BuckNaked (1211), Tempe, Arizona, USA
| 2.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 5/10 | 3/5 | 5/10 | 3/5 | 10/20 |
Dec 18, 2009 12oz bottle: Pours to a clear light amber color with a very small white head. The aroma is light citrus hops, mild spruce, with slight hints of alcohol and mild cereal. Taste shows bitter, earthy & citrus hops up front, hitting the back of the tongue and the throat, followed by some very slight hints of alcohol, sweet cereal, and pale malt. Finish is peppery/citrus hops. Medium bodied, moderate-medium carbonated.
madvike (361), Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| 3.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 6/10 | 3/5 | 13/20 |
Nov 28, 2009 Bottle from moejuck - thanks Joe! Pours clear copper with a thick cream-colored head. Smells malty, like sweet bread dipped in honey, along with some floral and citrusy hops. it’s still bitter, but the sweet wins out. Taste is nice and sweet up front--lots of honey and caramel--but the hops are a bit overbearing and grassy. They kind of coat your mouth and just sit there, tasting a bit stale. Still pleasant overall, but was a little disappointed in the finish.
demsoc (19), Pennsylvania, USA
| 3.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Nov 21, 2009 Pours amber with two finger white head. Honey, menthol, more restrained hop usage than others, slight raisin, slight caramel, with a bitter aftertaste.
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