Harbor City Full Tilt IPA

Harbor City Brewing Company
Brewed at Sand Creek Brewing Co. (Pioneer/Wisconsin Brewing Co.)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Port Washington, Wisconsin USA

I’m with the Milkman. This stuff is bad. And even with the low marks it strikes me as overrated. Medium white head quickly dissipates except a ring around the rim of the glass. It has a faint though promising aroma of cascade floral/citrus notes. Looks underwhelming -- a clear, slightly cupric pale orange. Then the fun begins. Off-dry hop bitterness, no citrus flavor, no floral hop flavor, no malt balance or sweetness. Just unpleasant dryness with a tinge of metal. Flavors are clashing and out of balance. I couldn’t finish a bottle.

Sometimes you try a beer and think, "boy, this isn’t good". While I’d rate it honestly, it’s kind of nice to know everybody else agrees it sucks as well. Orange. Nose sweet, a bit hoppy, but smells like a bit of industrial cleaner or bug spray was spritzed in it. Hop-wise, it’s apparently attempting in some way to be an English Pale Ale, but there’s an overarching bready sweetness to it.

Gusher! When I popped the top off, this one proceeded to erupt on my desk (when will I learn not to open beers up over my desk). Other than pouring all head (off white in color), poured a deeper orange color. Aromas of citrus, a little musty, and a light breadiness. Tastes of bread, citrus, and light caramel. Bready. I really couldn’t detect much of a bitterness to this. I would not have guessed this was an IPA.

IPAs are fast becoming a runner up to stouts and porters for me. This was a decent one but certainly not exceptional. Cloudy dark amber with a moderate beige head. Citrus hops, nuts, caramel malt, yeast in the nose. Medium bodied with a smooth feel in the mouth. The flavore was torpid IPA. Nice to have in a cooler for these hot days, though.

Pours a clear deep amber with a thick, frothy cream-colored head. Aroma is dry, sweaty, and musky with a touch of earthy hops. Body almost tastes like there are some additional spices added, like perhaps cinnamon or ginger. It’s either that or some weird type of hop I’m not used to. Tastes more like a winter warmer than an IPA. Has mild, but respectable complexity, but I would like more of a fresh citrusy hop aroma and flavor, than the muddy, holiday-spiced, earthy one this has.

Poured with a great creamy long lasting head along with a little lace. Bit of an odd orange tinge to the medium amber filtered color. The nose put me off a bit though - too fruity. Flavor reflected that along with an imbalance of malt to hop. could’ve maybe used a little more crystal malt. Like some of their other beers, like the amber better.

In the bottle at the 2005 Bad-burek party. Dark amber with an off-white head. Light body with medium hoppiness. Possibly a little grapefruit bitterness adding to the tartness. Not outstanding, but drinkable.

Poured a hazy dark orange. Aroma of oranges and some vanilla. There is also a hint of caramel and vomit. The taste has bread, carmel and a tart cherry character. This needs more balance of malt or some citrus hops. The weird tarness throws off the entire package.