Left Hand Warrior IPA

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

I was mightily disappointed with this beer. I’ve had good experiences with some Left Hand beers in the past (and think their Smoked Porter is quite good!), but this one was pretty awful. I believe from the packaging I have this year’s batch, and this was a new item at Blacklick Liquor, but it was not at all hoppy. It had the taste of a either a stale beer (which I don’t believe it was) or a fresh beer that had been badly mistreated. Appearance was OK - it was an amber color with a good head presence. But aroma was off - not cardboard-y/oxidized necessarily, but very malted-milkball tasting. It was grainy and slightly sour. Flavor was even worse. Flavor was lousy enough that mouthfeel became largely irrelevant. This was a drain-pour.

22 oz. bottle. Pours a thick tiny bubbled lasting off white head, with extensive, heavy "seafoam" lacing, over a clear, dark amber (SRM 12) body.....nose is floral, grapefruit, some caramel/toffee.....taste initially is light sweet caramel malt, then medium floral, grapefruit, with a light bitter finish...mouth feel is medium as is carbonation. This is a great example of "Wet Hopping". The head and lacing are showing huge effects from the hops. The nose and flavors are light, especially when compared to the "West Coast" type IPA’s. A very fine brew, given the brewing limitations of the ingredients used.

Pours light copper with a big off white head. Aroma is citrusy resiny hops with a hint of apple. Flavor is citrusy fruity hop, with a big amount of spruce and pine resin with a big bitter finish. Pretty good.

On tap at the Pony bar w/ Kara. Not as flavorful as the IPA I had before this Ballast Big Eye IPA. Decent head and lacing. Flavors of clementine and and juicy hop. Not as bold, or astringent as I would like.

Bottle from North End Market. First of all, AWESOME label (not the one pictured, it’s way cooler now). Bomber into glass pours a super clear orange/amber with an initial 2 finger off-white and airy head that quickly deflates to a 1/4 inch ring. Really sticky so it laces nicely with some bubbles. Aroma is like a freshly peeled clementine dipped in honey. Flavor is more muted than the aroma but the bitterness of the hops balances out the sweetness. Slightly warming afterwards. A very nice IPA and offering from Left Hand.

Bottle 65cl. @ home.
Light unclear medium orange color with a average to large, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to light heavy malty, caramel, moderate to light heavy hoppy, citrus, orange, sharp. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and peel bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light metalic. [20091118]

Kudos for not-a-taste-bud-destroying-IPA. You really have to dig deep to get a good nose on this one but it is there if you are willing to get some foam up your nostrils. Classic amber on this pour from a 22 with generous head and nice lacing that stayed around long enough for me to type this. I’d say break your girlfriend in with Sam Adam’s Lager then upgrade her to this beer when you’re both ready.

Bomber. Yellow gold. Thick white head. Aroma is odd and earthy with grass and citrus. Flavor is easy with late bite of floral and fruit oriented hops. Lighter hops than expected. No balance with only very light malts of little depth.