Left Hand Warrior IPA

Brewed by Left Hand Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Longmont, Colorado USA

With a couple of initial glugs, it poured a rich translucent orange-amber with about an inch of quick, orange-tan head. It smells sweet with loads of caramel, and some dried orange with a bit of citrus brightness. I would call it medium bodied, with a subtle bitter finish, lingering a bit more than expected. IPA’s are usually so quick and dry, but this one seems a bit more lush, riding a very mellow, ample sweetness. Would make an outstanding session brew. ps - I’m digging the new label with the shield and bovine skull . Better colors too :P

Orange pour with a nice white head. Aroma is hoppy and slightly sweet. The taste is hoppy with very little balance from the malts. I liked it but I wouldn’t get another, it doesn’t have enough hops and it’s not heavy enough.

Very sweet malt aroma. The flavor is also pretty sweet with a good dose of hops in a dry finish. It’s well done, but a bit 2-dimensional for the style.

BOTTLE: orange / golden pour, small head. Citrus hop on the nose, some biscuit on taste + caramel, Very nice IPA.

22 oz bottle. Pours a copper orange color with a small white head. Nose is hoppy, citrusy and biscuity. palate is lightly fizzy and playful. flavor is hops, nothing but. all citrusy hops and a hint of biscuity malt on the finish.

Pours reddish-amber with a frothy off-white head that fades leaving cropcircles. Aroma is dull, possibly a two year old bottle. The slight orange hop aroma there is has been masked by a caramel aroma. I can tell that it would taste great fresh but it is mostly a bitter hop with not much zing to it. Has a lingering bitter finish that is slightly roasty. Overall not the most robust IPA ever.

Bottle split with curly. Definiely has some age on it, at least a year or two. Pours a clear amber with fair off-white head. Nose is very muted hops,which are completely hidden by the massive caramel and dogfood overtones, similar to that of a scotch ale. Flavor still has some orange citrus, piney hop, and a little metallic. Semi bitter finish. Would love to have this fresh.

On tap at the Flying Saucer in KC. Pours a ruby body with a dense and foamy, tan head that dissipates slowly and leaves lots of layered lacing. Really nice looking. Aroma is not the warrior I had hoped for. Moderately sweet caramels and darker toffees. Melony with weaker citrus and a bland pine covered up by the sweeter malts. Flavor isn’t too much more warrior-like. Starts with some darker caramels and toffee before moving into the resiny, weak piney citrus. The bitterness is balancing in that the malts don’t dominate, but the hops could probably double and still be well balanced. Finishes dry with a light pine, toffee, melon, citrus aftertaste that doesn’t go on very long. Medium bodied and smooth. Overall, a fairly decent tasting IPA, but pretty boring. The hops are there, but too much dark toffee and not enough aggression. If only the taste was as exciting as the appearance. Ugh, Left Hand is just blah.