Left Coast Hop Juice - Left Coast Brewing Company

Drinkerofales

California

4.33/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Back on tap, finally, after years of not having it at Oggis.

Light amber gold, not much head, but it's on tap. What head there is shrank into a ring and decorated my glass generously.

Smells of grapefruit and pine, pungently so. Not much else is detectable, which is fine by me.

Taste is exactly as the smell, piney, grapefruit, pithy citrus. This is what I look for in a DIPA. The bitter is big and delicious.

Texture has that nice hop bite, alcohol is barely noticeable.

For years this has been one of my favorites, and it doesn't disappoint.
DOA

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2012 01:44:25 | More by Drinkerofales

shigg85

Japan

4.23/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap as a UK pink at Vivo in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. A lovely blood red brew with a strong scent of molasses and berry along with the obvious hop aroma. A bit thin in the mouth for an imperial IPA, but the impact from the 9.7% ABV really packs a punch. Overall, this was as satisfying as a beer can get in that area. However, it could have had a bit more going on. I found it to be more of a strong brew than anything. This is a great beer for getting buzzed, but as for wanting something that should come with the imperial levels of magic that doubles/imperials hold, this is a bit different.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2012 08:37:30 | More by shigg85

HopHead84

California

2.5/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

9/10/2011

On tap at Oggi's Carmel Mountain.

A: Hazy dark orange with a big beige head.

S: Sweet caramel with bread and sugar. Blah. Some grapefruit.

T: Sugary caramel with bread, pine, and grapefruit. The beer is malt heavy. Bitterness is at a moderate level.

M: Medium body with medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is sticky and dry.

Overall: Too sweet. Too much malt. Too little hop character. IPAs like this should be exterminated.

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2011 03:54:13 | More by HopHead84

woemad

Washington

3.58/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pint consumed at the Baby Bar in Spokane for $5. First time I've seen it on-tap, though I saw it in bottles at Huckleberry's earlier in the day.

The beer arrived wearing a hazy, orangey amber color.

Big fruit aroma. Grapefruit, tangerines and pineapple were present. Malt aromas were fairly big as well, but the tropical fruit aroma blast was much more noticeable.

This beer tasted BIG. Lots of flavor. Lots of hops and a nearly over-the-top maltiness meant that I was very content to only drink one. Definitely one of the boozier DIPAs I've had.

Big, creamy mouthfeel, with lots of oily hop resin.

Glad I tried it but don't think I'll have another, this is a DIPA that is not really my cup of tea.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2011 20:32:38 | More by woemad

grittybrews

Washington

4.22/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a hazy amber-orange into a pint glass with a finger of off-white head. Juicy grapefruit/tangerine aroma with caramel sweetness and a touch of pine.

Moderate carbonation and a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Sweet honey and biscuit up front with lots of citrus and a touch of pine bitterness on the finish.

Almost completely hides the higher ABV and strikes a very nice balance between the sweet malt and citrus/bitter hop components. Very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2011 14:03:12 | More by grittybrews

MADhombrewer

Oregon

2.83/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance- Golden color with a nice white head that dissipates quickly. Lacing is good. 4/5


Smell- Tropical fruit and orange hop aromas. Caramel malts as well. 3.5/5

Taste- Smooth bitterness. Orange flavors abound. There is a lot of malt in this one. The alcohol really comes out a quarter of the way through the pint. There is too much boozyness to it in my opinion. 2.5/5


Mouthfeel- This starts out good, but gets slicker and thicker as it warms. 3/5

Overall- Typical, more alcohol =DIPA beer. I know that you have to up the grain bill to make it "double/imperial" but I seems that some of these have a ton of alcohol just to have a ton of alcohol. I would like to see them a little more balanced. 2.5/5

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2011 16:28:39 | More by MADhombrewer

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had a snifter of this at Brewhouse Grille on 3/25/11.

A slightly dark amber bordering on copper with mild haze and 1/2 inch of light cream with tight bead. The retention is good and you can see slow moving bubbles in the ale, lace sticks haphazardly. The smell while good is not very pungent, mainly floral esters and some mild citrus notes which could be construed as grapefruit-like. The feel is decent with strong bitter followed by a gently sugary sweet tinge and moderately high carbonation follows. The alcohol is noticeable, but not overdone, the astringency level gets higher as it warms and the finish is very dry.

The taste is the only area I would say it is lacking - there is some fruity hop and sugary malt flavor but there is also an astringent/medicinal edge created by some of the coarse bitterness and alcohol in the flavor that seems slightly distracting. The taste is bitter as expected, but lacks some hop flavor aside from mild citrus elements. The finish is dry and boozy with some stickiness from residual sugar in the malts. The overall for me is that this is a decent Imperial IPA -it held my interest, but the part you look for the hops mainly the taste it just doesn't deliver -too bitter without any juiciness or hop flavors too satisfy. I think the high alcohol seems to detract from the drinkability slightly -I won't seek this out again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2011 13:22:44 | More by Slatetank

thain709

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - This was served with a deeper shade of amber body...it had a slight haze to it...a creamy one finger head turned into a wispy cap...decent lacing

S - The aroma was pretty one dimensional and can summed up in one word...hops...the nose was all about the hops...citrus and pine fighting each other

T - The flavor profile turned out to be just the same...all hops...there wasn't much balance to this beer...the hops were all over the place and just became too bitter...it was hard for me to find any sweetness coming through to save my palate

M - Medium bodied...reisny...overly bitter

D - This beer started off decently with a huge hop nose but it came up short in the flavor because of no balance...combine the lack of balance with the 9.5% ABV and you've got a beer you need to watch yourself with

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2010 11:04:22 | More by thain709

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hop juice pours a deeper golden color with very little head. Pure and simple this beer smells and taste of hops nothing else. A full tatse but finishes just a bit watery. Not for the lite beer drinker. Overall very enjoyable, not the best of this style, but still very enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2010 23:48:01 | More by vette2006c5r

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A snifter glass served at TJ's Everyday.

A: The DIPA is an amber color, a little brighter than a brown bottle. The color is too intense to be translucent. Surprisingly, no head insuluated this baby.

S: The nose is treacly, heavy on hops and malts. Basically a barleywine dressed up like a DIPA.

T: The taste confirms that suspicions that the nose offers up. Namely that this is an overdone hoppy mess. Hops are citrusy but fast to get lost in the bulk of the malts. Those same caramel malts are heavy and strong, again like a barleywine. The result is an over-hopped, malt bomb that can't really move in any direction. Thanks but no thanks for me.

M: The mouthfeel is full. I won't say rich because it is more overwhelming than not.

D: I didn't finish my snifter, instead moving onto the subtle complexity of a Duvel Green.

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2009 21:11:29 | More by akorsak

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Left Coast- Hop Juice

A- Deep bright yellowish orange with a thick frothy head.
S- Huge sweet grapefruit, white cane sugar, and pine hops.
T- Huge grapefruit and pineapple with lotsa sugar. Sweet pine hop finish.
M- Cheek hurting sugary sweetness with a thick caramel malt that quickly fades to a sweet pine hops.

Overall- Just too much sugar in this sweet grapefruit bomb. Definitely worthy of a pint.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2008 00:00:22 | More by NJpadreFan

Philabeerphia

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap @ Monks 12/20
A 10oz pour (?) into some sort of fluted stange. Brought to the table with plenty of pep by our server, by the time this puppy arrived it was devoid of any noticeable head, although as I swirl it around some nice sticky lacing leaves its mark for a few seconds.
Its appearance is deep and warm like molasses, crisp and translucent even in the low light of this bar. Nothing particulary outstanding here, and that deep color leaves me wondering if the malt will make too strong of a showing - yes I am actively searching out the unbalanced bombs.

It smells clean, a big nose of just a few notes: Pine, earth & alcohol. Almost no detectable citrus notes. I'm actually surprised at the how big this smells and I can feel my mouth start to water with anticipation.

The taste opens up like a cold dose of medicinal malty sugar water... sounds like something to avoid, but this is pleasing, cooling and quickly peels away to a big core of mentholyptic, eucalyptic spicy earthy hoppiness. finishes soft, with more of the sugary menthol thing going on. I'm surprised to feel my tastebuds slipping away, overcome by the hop juices. It is a bitter hoppy brew, but I can't call this a hop bomb. Its slightly overbalanced (for my tastes today) with sweet malts, coating my throat with the herbal alien tastes. I stare into space for a few minutes trying to figure this out. I'm still staring... and I like it a lot

the MF is simply a little too syrupy to drink much more than the 10oz pour I just finished. It hangs around in a juicy film - it is fair to call this a full bodied DIPA.

One strange brew, glad this made it out to PHL

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2008 01:52:52 | More by Philabeerphia

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Capone's.

A-Pours a clear ornage amber with a medium sized white head and very nice lacing.

S-Quite a bit of sweet malt with some grapefruit hops.

T-Quite well balanced, I think. Toffee sweetness in the front blends well with the grapefruit hops and a mildly sweet finish.

M-Crisp, a bit dry, nicely carbonated.

D-Not a hop bomb by any means, I found this to be quite drinkable. When I am in the mood for a low ABV DIPA, I would be happy to reach for this one.

HV

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2008 19:47:53 | More by sholland119

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Quotations, Media, PA on 11/15/08. Served in a goblet.

A - Clear orange/amber body with ruby grapefruit highlights and thin off-white head that yielded decent lacing.

S - Citrus and perfumy hops paired caramel malt and some toffee notes. This brew also emits a pretty substantial fume of alcohol.

T - Quite malty for a DIPA with a predominant burnt caramel character, yet hops are still pretty aggressive and get more assertive as it warmed up. There's quite a bit of heat from the alcohol content.

M - Softly carbonated medium body with a sticky, syrupy texture. Warm and tingly mouthfeel. Finish is sticky, dry and extremely bitter.

D - The high ABV is definitely apparent in this DIPA. This was also not as hoppy as I had anticipated. I reviewed this a few months ago from a bottle, and I thought the hops were quite subdued. While the hops are indeed more prevalent in the tap version, this is still quite a malt-forward DIPA with a thick, syrupy maltiness and caramel sweetness.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2008 13:02:28 | More by ffejherb

tonistruth

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

on tap @ Pizza Port Carlsbad

A- golden straw with an orange tint, 1 finger frothy white head, good retent, nice clingy white lace

S- citrus, floral, hop oils

T- citrus, grassy, bready, toasted malts, spicy hop and some alcoholic heat at finish, heat through after, plenty of hop oils swimming around

M- starts smooth then the hops kick in and beat your tongue up, also heat from the alcohol does its thing through the finish

D- another west coast 2IPA, nothing special but still tasty, nice after taste

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2007 17:34:40 | More by tonistruth

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

The hop juice by left coast is decent. Typical of most DIPAs where the hops are counter balanced by sweet malt. The beer poured a copper semi hazy color with white head that Did not lace. The scent was subtle hops with sweet biscuity backdrop. The taste is a decent balance between, my guess semcoe hops, and sweet malt. The mouthfeel is full body with decent carbonation. Overall it was good and I'm glad to have tried it.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 02:08:33 | More by WoodBrew

yamar68

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Glowing amber gold body with a few fingers of off-white head which leaves a good amount of lace. Body is completely still.

Some melon and pineapple on the nose... sweet and subtle malts can't seem to mask the alcohol content.

Chalky toffee and vanilla overwhelm the hop profile I had expected. The alcohol content doesn't do us any favors.

Lame. Color me unimpressed.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 05:23:36 | More by yamar68

gregy55902

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Hop Juice Double IPA. No freshness date, but the guy at the store said they JUST had put it on the shelf (so hopefully it's very fresh).

A - Poured into an XL snifter. Very pleasant darkish-orange color; not cloudy but not opaque either. Very minimal head - what was there disappeared within several seconds, and all that was left was a nice ring of bubbles and lacing.

S - Plenty of juicy citrus hops and bready/carmel-ly malts. 5 hop varieties, but it's hard to tell which ones. I am slightly worried that this will be a malt bomb.

T - Hops. Malt. Too much malt.. way too much. The malt overpowers the hops and dominates the taste. A tad disappointing. The hops are there, but just barely.

M - Decent carbonation levels, although more carbonation would liven it up a little.

O - If you tout your beer as a heavy hitter in hops with the name 'hop juice,' then I am expecting the bottle to punch me in the face and force heaps of hops down my throat. I don't know how old this beer is, so the hop characteristics may have faded (but I'm inclined to think the beer is just like this).

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 01:59:18 | More by gregy55902

morimech

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a darker amber color with one finger of head that had good retention before settling to a thin cap. Impressive amount of lacing is left down the glass.

Hoppy aroma which is expected. Not that strong of a aroma but has nice citrus elements.

Packs a bitter punch but lacks the hop flavor payoff that many of the better DIPAs have delivered to us. Flavor consists of citrus, a little tropical fruit, and a surprising amount of sweet, caramel malt. Not the malt level and flavor you expect from a west coast brewer. With this malt comes the equally surprising ABV level, and alcohol warmth.

Big body for a pale ale. Has nice smooth carbonation but enough to help with the bitterness and alcohol.

What I want from a DIPA is hop flavor, not just tongue punishing bitterness. What hop flavor you do get is good, just need more of it.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 21:46:22 | More by morimech

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.11/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Surly Darkness chalice.

Appearance: Pours a deep and slightly hazy copper amber orange. Moderate amount of bubbles and about two fingers of off white head which slowly fade into a thin creamy layer. Leaves a lot of creamy lacing around the glass.

Smell: Big hop forward aroma of grass, citrus, and pine with some bready malt backing. Rich and juicy hops upfront with herbal and grassy hints along with some pine resin spice. Citrus hints of grapefruit, orange peel, pineapple, mango, and lemon. Bready malt sweetness with hints of sweet caramel, biscuit, grains, toffee, and yeast. A juicy and wet smell.

Taste: Lives up to the aroma with a sharp and ripe taste of big hops and sweet malt. Big bitter hop taste with earthy notes of grass, pine resin, and citrus fruit. Citrus notes of grapefruit, pineapple, orange peel, mango, and lemon. Also some herbal and floral hop notes. Solid sweet bready malt background with notes of caramel, grains, biscuit, toffee, and yeast. Very hop forward, lush, and bitter taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Very oily, juicy, and bitter. Starts somewhat sweet and finishes dry. A little alcohol heat is felt.

Overall: Pretty decent for a more in your face hoppy brew. One of the more oily IPA's I've had but I like the aggressive hop taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 06:56:32 | More by MattyG85

joshbhs04

California

3.2/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: clear with an amber hue
S: Bread Malts with very lil hops
T: malt forward IPA, The hops really don’t shine as much as the name states.
M: Sticky mouthfeel, thick and good
O: Not really worth the price of admission. The name suggests a lot more hops but I had to really dig to find them on the palate. Wont buy again.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 03:03:44 | More by joshbhs04

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.49/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Dark gold pour with a trace of residual foam and modest lace. Smells malty, fruit sweet with herbal and citrus hop. Taste is rather astringent in the pungent sense with moderate bitterness and pith as well as grassy essences adding some flavor. Substantial malt backbone lends fruity sweetness. Medium body with effervescent carbonation. Mild lingering bitterness and fruity sweetness on finish. These are some solid elements but the whole seems unorganized.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 02:33:45 | More by JackieTH

rringler

California

4.41/5  rDev +23.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Cloudy, copper color. Pours with a half finger of white head that dissipates quickly. Little lacing, but I'm drinking this out of a plastic cup, so that might be affecting it.

S: Hops. Dominated by earthy, herbal hops, with a bit of sweet malts in there. There's no reason to doubt the bottle's claim that the brew is dry-hopped for two weeks; it smells like it.

T: Complicated. Starts with some darker, dank fruit tastes, but then moves on to mild bready malts, before finishing with the earthy, herbal hops that it smells of. While there's no shortage of hops, they're not as bitter as other IPAs, so don't let them scare you off. It has a bit of a dry, alcohol taste, though it is 9.7% abv.

M: Medium to medium+ body; slightly thicker and oilier like a DIPA should be. Carbonation is very good.

O: Excellent example of what a West Coast DIPA tastes like. Grab one and pretend you're in SoCal.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 23:04:17 | More by rringler

TTAmod

Michigan

3.54/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bomber poured into pint glass. I can't find a date, but we just started getting these, so age shouldn't be an issue.

A: Dark amber color with a thick tan head. Good retention.

S: Dank, leafy raw hops and a strong dose of caramel.

T: Strong hops along with a strong malt base. The hops aren't of the citrusy kind, but rather of the herbal, raw, leafy kind. Tobacco, marijuana, and other strong herbal hop flavors dominate this brew. The malt base is very strong, as well. It's sweet, but not overly sweet. I guess you could compare this to ST Unearthly. This beer isn't very bitter, but ends on a slightly dry note.

M: A bit of a thick, full mouthfeel. Pretty typical for this kind of DIPA. Pretty easy to drink considering the high ABV.

O: This isn't a bad beer. For the price, you get a very bold, strong herbal DIPA. I would probably buy this over Unearthly, which has a similar taste profile but is quite a bit more expensive.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 05:56:54 | More by TTAmod

popery

California

3.88/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

From notes, 3/6/10. Bottle, home. Surprisingly good DIPA. This beer pours a medium amber with a smallish white head. The aroma is quite good, a mix of a variety of hop flavors - mostly floral and citric. There’s a touch of caramel malt, but this is clearly a hop ride from the outset. The flavor is pretty much all big chewy hops. I guess it’s dry, but it’s hard to taste much beyond the hops. If that’s not your cup of hop tea, then you won’t like this beer much. There was a definite paint thinner note when the beer was colder, but it fades to further hoppiness as it warmed up. Mouthfeel is a bit rough, but them’s the breaks with hop juice. Super hoppy DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 23:36:29 | More by popery