Smuttynose IPA

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

drink by 07/08. Pours gold with a thin white head. Aroma is biscuit and hops. Flavor is similar, way too biscuity. No citrus to back it up, not such a great hop character either. Finish is bitter, nice amount of carbonation. Not horrible but could use a lot of work.

Poured from the bottle to a bright reddish-orange with medium thick off-white head that lingered well and left okay lacing. Surprisingly, the nose was pretty muted, but the mounthfeel was the sharp, tangy citrus I expected. Taste was a very good, very pronounced hoppy grapefruit, all leading to a long, tangy and dry finish. A most enjoyable beer.

Smuttynose Brewing Co. India Pale Ale ABV: 6.6% IBU: Volume: 12 fl oz Glass: pilsner Purchased at: Hopewell Valley Wine Consumed on: February 28th, 2008, 9:52 pm sensory first impression: Beautiful, thin fluffy white head, bulbous and real. Yeasty haziness, and beautiful pale gold color. Slightly active carbonation. Taste is wonderful and deep. Bright, though this came from a fridge at Hopewell, and is still unfortunately too chilled. The lace may be the best I’ve ever seen - great legs. A delicious, beautiful, affordable beer. I’m enjoying it immensely. Aroma/Olfactory: Malt has coffee tones, is rather dark and bold. Hops everywhere, and resinous. Normal hop activity in upper back roof of mouth is instead active all through the mouth with Smuttynose. What remarkable balance! Yeast/Bacteria tastes of corn, grains, and lettuce. This has a gloriously muted perfume. Caramel, cream and vanilla, but none overwhelming. Visuals/Appearance: Color is pale and yellow to golden. Liquid is quite hazy. Head/Lace white lace is outstanding and the head, while thin, stays throughout. Taste/Flavor: Maltiness/Sweetness is light. Hoppiness/Bitterness is heavy and biting. Sour is on the heavy side. Well crafted, balanced, and tasty. Palate/Tactile: Body/Mouthfeel is very full, though not stoutish. Texture is creamy, thick and satin. Carbonation average to active. Finish is wonderfully long and bitter with sweet undertones. Overall second impression: What a surprisingly wonderful beer. I had my doubts because the packaging was rather quirky, but I’m glad I took a chance. I’ll be having this again, for sure. I’d venture to say it’s in my top 5 right now.

I prepare my tastebuds for crunching down on this one... two-finger thick white head that leaves a rather even tracing...golden orange body with heavy sediment and slow effervescence--without meaning insult, like duck sauce? Bright hops and a citrus explosion in aroma... works at the front and bottom of the tongue; malts send little signal late; little effervescence in the mouthfeel... a standard American IPA, rather medium-to-full bodied with aggressive hops and a lingering taste... alcohol is disguised well; the sharpness, combined with its almost chunky sediments, makes for an experience that could be called robust... a bigger and enjoyable experience indeed...and yet, I seek forgiveness for not beign able to see this beer for more than this: another quality American hopped-up IPA

Draft. Clear copper coloring. 1" head. Light lace. Hoppy, faintly citrusy, fruity, floral hints. Watery bitterness that gains strength. Dull burlap finish. Ok.

My favorite beer. Drank about 10 billion of these and am shocked I never rated it. Anyways, pours a nice bright yet cloudy orange color with a frothy off white head. Nose is fruity and citrus with a hint of grassiness. A nice lively palate that tickles the tongue and throat. Finishes crisp and refreshing. Flavors of citrus, a light caramel hint here or there. wonderful for all occasions!

June 2006 - Another nice offering by the Smutty guys. Beer poured pale orange color, nice fluffy head with nice lacing and loads of little yeasties floating all in the beer. Aroma was grapefruit and the flavor was as well. This was crisp, refreshing and a perfect balance between malt and hops. As noted elsewhere, the malt character was really nice with a biscuity presence that went well with the citrus, surprisingly enough. And, for the price, this is hard to beat for your IPA hankerings!

Copying from tasting notes. Bottle. orange pour with a nice off white head. Very hoppy nose with some citrus in the back. Very piney and fruity on the toung. Quite good.