Portsmouth Bottle Rocket IPA

Brewed by Portsmouth Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

On tap at the brewpub. Cloudy gold with a nice white head. Excellent lace rings. Dry, peppery bitter, somewhat floral. Dry floral bite, light caramel. A good drinker.

Bottle courtesy of MrRetardedMonkey poured into a pint glass. Pours a deep clear orangish amber with a big off-white head that lingers as a cap throughout and leaves sporadic lacing. The aroma is very well balanced for an American IPA with the malts balancing the hops well. There are some citrus and earthy hops up front before the generous sweetness of the caramel malts and toffee takes over. The taste is just as well balanced with the earthy hops present up front but not overpoweringly so. The caramel malts are in the background with a slight pine hop bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is very smooth and not prickly or bitter like many IPAs out there. This is one of my favorites from Portsmouth and the drinkability is off the charts for me. I drank the bomber in 3 minutes flat. Just kidding...or am I? Recommended.

20080729 Tap at brewpub. Basic IPA that is hoppy, resinous, and citrus pithy. Medium bodied with a long but astringent finish. Very solid brewpub IPA.

Draught sample at the brewery. Nice hop profile but not as balanced as the Hop Harvest. Still very nice and I would gladly drink it again.

Growler courtesy of a traveling colleague. This beer is a lightly hazed golden-amber color with a medium thick and rocky off-white head that dissipates slowly. Stringy lacing on the glass. Aroma of floral hops, citrus and malt. Medium body with moderate hops character. Notes of citrus and pine, as well as some sweet malt in the background. The finish is grapefruit and hops with a lingering bitterness left over. Above average overall.

(Draught) Pours a lightly hazy amber body with a small beige head. Aroma of nuts, herbs, floral, earthiness, apple, cereal, and grass. Flavor of hops (grass, herbal, citrus) with cracker-like malt taste.

Draught @ Brewpub: This one had a small, frothy white head on it. It left behind a little lacing. It poured a hazy, slightly orangish color. The aroma was somewhat lighter than expected. Slight pine, citrus and malt aroma come through the most. The taste is nicely balanced. Bitter with some malts. Some citrus, toasty and biscuit flavors come through. This one drinks real easy. Nice.

On tap at the brew pub. Cloudy amber in color with a beige head. Aroma was a sight piney hop with some malt. Flavor was light malt with bitter hops.