Schooners IPA

Brewed by Schooners Grille & Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Antioch, California USA

Courtesy boboski. Slightly cloudy straw color, not much head, a few stray bubbles. Nice fresh Cascade smell, grapefruit rind, flowers. A bit thin on the palate, but well-carbonated. Robust hoppy start really runs over the malt and leaves a nice light finish. Fresh and tasty. The bottle we tasted had 7.2% on the label. <P> Sampled again, courtesy SoLan. Had a more citric hop character on the taste than I remembered and the palate was definitely improved this time.

I can stare right through this medium gold body, even through the top, as a thin notion of a white head fully diminishes nearly immediately. Hops are the near totality of the aromatic structure, fruity and fresh. This beer is extremely fresh and invigorating because of it. Notes of grapefruit, orange, tangerine, lemon and acidic pureed mangos and pineapple in moderation . Malt is diminutive, but warmth releases hints of toast and sweet grain. Alcohol is very lightly noticeable but not in any way bothersome. The flavor is wonderful! Fresh fruit slowly gives way to potent high bitterness that is both drying and quenching. Sweetness is mild. Acidity is lively and toils away attacking the sweet caramel malt. The finish is drying, moderately bitter and refreshing, clean and very crisp. The mouthfeel is somewhat watery, modestly carbonated and light-medium to medium bodied. Very good, an excellent session beer with fresh fruit galore.

Thanks Bobo! Poured an apricot color, with a small and delicate head. Aroma is intoxicatingly fresh, with a pronounced citrusy aroma leading the charge. I do get a slack back note of fresh cilantro and slight toasted component. Flavor is full and hoppy, with a warming finish. Very nice.

Date: October 18, 2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: muddy orange, whispy white head
Aroma: sweet citrus aroma
Body: very creamy body
Flavor: nice big hop flavor, lots of citrus character, well balanced sweetness, lasting bitter finish

Date: July 07, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub
Score: 3.3 to 3.7
Appearance: clear copper, fine off white head, streaks of lace
Aroma: sweet crystal aroma with lots of citrus
Flavor: sweet crystal malt flavor, big citrus and sweet tangerine, plenty of balancing bitterness that stays out of the way of the hop flavor

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

16 ounce pint on tap at the brewpub. Aroma is of hemp and piney hops. Some metallic notes are present, too. I also detect some dish soap, which is unfortunate. Transparent orangey-copper color with a small yellow-tan head. This could definitely be darker in color. Sweet, almost sugary malty start. Becomes quite juicy in the middle. It then suddenly takes a sharp, bitter, dry grapefruity turn. Quite dry and bitter. The mellow, sweet start lulls you into a false sense of security before the rediculously dry and bitter hoppiness blindsides you. I don’t care for this trait.

Lightly hazy orange-yellow. Moderate coarse head. Surprisingly light hops aroma with orange and piney notes. Hops do, however, come through sharply in the flavor with fat, juicy piney and citric notes and a light cheesiness/staleness. Excellent finish, smooth and creamy with moderate bitterness.

Sampled from a bottle in Nov. 2006: Pours a slightly hazy golden bronze with a thin covering of wispy white head. Has a fresh piny hoppy aroma with semi-sweet caramel malty notes. Body starts with pale malty sweetness, some citric orange fruity notes and balance of flavoring hops. A nice IPA.

Bottle shared by bgburdman at C-Bus 6, thanks! Orange pour with a white head. ARoma of earthy hops, citrus and light caramel malt. Flavors of citrus-earthy hops and light sweet malt. Solid body, with a light bitter finish. A nice sessionable IPA.