Stash IPA - Independence Brewing Co.

beergoot

Colorado

3.38/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Lightly cloudy gold body with a lasting, thick white head.

Citrus and pine hop aroma. A slight hint of malt sweetness sneaks through the dominating hop presence.

Juicy, medium body with soft carbonation lending a smooth feel to the mouth.

Very bittern taste throughout though there is a hint of citrus fruit (I'm reminded of oranges). Very light malt flavors.

A decent AIPA although the strong bitterness comes across a tad harsh overall. Not as well-balanced as any grain characteristics are well-hidden by the hops.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 20:35:22 | More by beergoot

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a medium to dark orange gold color that's hazy, no head retention and a super thin lacing ring.

S - Spicy with a mild touch of garlic, fruit rinds and resiny, traces of pine. The caramel malt is very, very light and buried. Aroma favors the hops.

T - Lots of earthy pine and tropical fruit resins of grapefruit and oranges with a spicy, rindy, almost garlic-like character. Caramel malt is biscuity and lays pretty low in the background in this hop forward IPA. Hop resins are on the spicy sweet side while the lingering bitterness favors the piney grapefruit side.

M - Medium body, a little sticky, and a very nice long, lingering spicy bitterness of oranges, grapefruit, and pine. Leaves an enjoyable and pleasing coating of spicy hops long after the sip.

O - This beer is FAR more deserving than the current overall score of "80". It's hop forward and in my opinion, very well brewed. If I could buy this locally, this would definitely be a staple IPA in my beer fridge.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 20:15:42 | More by jzeilinger

homebrew311

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Received this as an extra from mhenson42... thanks man!

Bottle Date = 4/12/12

Pours a slightly hazy goldish color with a film of white head. Nice retention on the head and nice lacing. The aroma features aromatic fruity hops along with pine cones and resin. Notes of caramel malt in the background are present. Taste is heavy on the bitterness right away with plenty of pine and a hint of grass and onion. Malts are present but are overshadowed by bitterness. The body feels somewhat heavy and the carbonation is moderate. Overall, this is a tasty little brew, but in the saturated world of IPAs, it doesn't stand out as a memorable or particularly unique brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 07:11:28 | More by homebrew311

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to jamescain for this bottle.

A: The IPA is orange-esque, clearer and supportive of a thin white head. Scant lacing follows.

S: Plenty of balance, both the citrus hops and ample malts wafting out of the glass. The hops aren't bold but they make their presence known.

T: The balance saves the IPA, bringing caramel flavors in to rescue the hops as they fall off. Citrus, just a bit of pine resin, stands out with grapefruit leading the way. The caramel is bready and stronger, more than just a backbone. The finish is predominantly malts with the occasional hop flash.

M: Decent mouthfeel, more of a pale ale with the plentiful malt balance.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 15:58:17 | More by akorsak

dbmernin83

California

3.08/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A decent IPA. Hazy straw some lacing. Hops on the nose with a little fruity sweetness. Hops, but a little sweeter than I like for a single IPA. A dry finish with a lasting bitterness. An ok IPA. I expected the worst, it being the best beer option at a CVS in the suburbs, and this is ok

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 03:51:37 | More by dbmernin83

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a hazy lighter shade of amber with a nice head that leaves copious amounts of lace

Smell: Citrus pith and pine

Taste: The malt plays a relative neutral role as a platform for the pine and pithy flavors that build through mid-palate and linger into the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A nice, hoppy IPA - not a knock your socks off beer but a good everyday drinker; better than what I was expecting based on the reviews here

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 03:19:45 | More by brentk56

bundy462

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Cloudy tanish brown with a white head.

S: Grassy and grainy malt with a strong hop character.

T: Grainy and grassy body with strong hops but nothing overpowering. A nice balance with a woody character in the finish. Earthy.

M: Smooth at first with a lingering hop on the tongue.

O: Nice IPA, nicely balanced, not the hop blast that you normally get with the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 06:11:43 | More by bundy462

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for this extra Matt.

The beer pours a cloudy burnt-orange and leaves spider web lacing down the sides as it's quarter inch, white head falls flat. There is ample carbonation helping to push forward strong notes of layered, hoppy bitterness and sugary citrus. Very little alcohol is detected while drinking. This IPA tastes relatively fresh, with pungent piney hops and some citrus fruit in the aftertaste. The resiny bitterness lingers for quite some time after words. In summary, this is a tasty IPA, but fails to blow my socks off.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 00:32:28 | More by ThePorterSorter

obrike

Texas

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought a 4 pack at HEB in Round Rock for just over 6 bucks...

Have seen it numerous times and have passed it by...never again.

Poured a honey colored gold into my sam adams pint gass, about a one inch head...fades pretty quickly...light spotty lacing.

Wow...very fragrant scent...surprised me. Piney hops mixed with orange, mango, other tropical fruits. Quite nice.

Bang...a big hop punch to the palate, but not a lot of malt backbone. Strong pine and orange, but a bit one-sided. Still, a lot of flavor in this, much more than I expected.

A nice IPA effort from Independence here in the great state of Texas.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 01:26:19 | More by obrike

bmwats

Louisiana

3.73/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a hotel cup (sadly).

A: Dark golden hue. Pours about a quarter finger, foamy, white head. Settles slowly. Nice beer ring lacing. A little bubbly carbonation continues to percolate to the surface throughout.

S: Baked Italian bread, with lots of piny hops. A little honey, and lemon citrus.

T: Very piny, very hoppy, with a tinge of syrupy sweetness, and an earthy malt flavor.

M: Mouth puckering hops, resulting in a really dry finish. A somewhat steely aftertaste lingers a bit.

D: Sip and enjoy.

Atmosphere is very nice. Dark golden body, with a nice (albeit slight) foamy head which lingers consistently, and leaves a persistent beer ring. Nose is hearty grain with pine, well complimented with some sweet and citrus. Flavor is not complex, but has an earthy malt, biting hops, and a slight sweet tone for balance. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 04:47:26 | More by bmwats

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.93/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle w/o bottle date information. Poured into a Russian River pint glass.

A: Pours a really pretty hop hazed golden yellow color. The thin half finger white head died pretty quickly into a ring around the glass leaving some sticky lacing bits. Good carbo.

S: Smells really delicious tropical fruity. Mango, papaya, grapefruit and peach are some of the notes I get. I don't get any maltiness sp it could be pretty darn fresh.

T: I get a beautiful hop bite on the tip of the tongue. You get those fruity hops again. Mango and peach. In the middle the malt bill nicely balances it out. Really smooth finish. Tasty little beer. Impressed.

M: Medium with a creamy mouthfeel which is strange.

O: B+ I really like this on many levels: smell taste etc.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 22:44:47 | More by inlimbo77

elNopalero

Texas

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This pours a cloudy golden color. Hazy.

There’s a pronounced hoppy bouquet that’s heavy on the pine side, followed by some orange peel. That bracing hoppiness comes through on the flavor as well, without a strong enough malt backbone to balance it out. Sharp, piney bitterness and a lingering finish. Thick and resiny without being DIPA-strength.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 21:54:00 | More by elNopalero

ocelot2500

Arizona

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy bright golden orange with a tight, frothy white head that leaves little chunks of lacing.

Smells of pine hops mostly with some citrus background.

Tastes of the hops upfront layered on top of a solid malt base. Hops lead off with citrus, floral, and pine notes. Solid amount of bitterness. Malts come through with toasted bread and a bit of caramel sweetness. A pretty good balance to it.

Mouthfeel is medium with a smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall, a solid IPA, but doesn't really stand out among its competition.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 01:48:02 | More by ocelot2500

BrewerB

California

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

miikezombie sent this beer my way in trade. I'd sampled some of Independence's offerings at GABF 2011 and am glad to have a bottle to review. Thanks, Glen!

Pouring this one into a small Firestone Walker nonic pint glass. Mostly clear with just a hint of haze, this is a medium orange color. Foam formation was around 1-2 fingers tall and off-white in color. Good retention and lacing. The nose offers up some of that typical American hop goodness I like to see. There's sliced ruby red grapefruit along with a sweet navel orange. Slight sweet malty notes pop up later. Despite the citrus hop in the nose, the flavor leans more toward an herbal and grassy combo. Malt backbone holds firm, hinting at a toasty but primarily clean profile. Finishes dry with a lingering bitterness. Speaking of bitterness, it is certainly appropriate for this style of beer. The medium-light body and moderate carbonation is also fine for this style and doesn't detract for the session.

A good but not great example of the American IPA. Really enjoyed the nose and appearance but flavor could use a little work - perhaps more diversity in the hop profile.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 01:25:09 | More by BrewerB

suspect

New York

4.15/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle (no date) into a Samuel Adams perfect pint glass. Thanks to my Secret Santa miikezombie for the hookup.

A: Pours hazy, cloudy, golden in color with amber hues. Relatively aggressive pour leads to a full two-finger fluffy slightly off-white head that disappears over the course of 5 minutes to leave a full sticky coating on the glass. Similar lacing leads all the way to the bottom.

S: Big time aroma on this one...almost unexpectedly so. Full citrus nose with big time piney resin meets subtle yet very present malt backbone. Hops reach right up and yank out your nose hairs.

T: Pine and grapefruit from the nose do a flip flop here as the pine takes center stage leaving grapefruit to wave its hands in the background. Very nicely done flavors here...lots and lots of hops and a nice little slide into home from the malt at the very end. Excellent.

M: A touch thin on the feel, the hop oils don't really coat the mouth too much but there is a nice finish. Ample carbonation.

O: Extremely well done IPA. This one came out of left field for me. Totally unexpected, really really nice. Overall I enjoyed the first immensely and will be said when I finish my second and last one.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 01:44:21 | More by suspect

imasloth

Texas

4.03/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

So they changed their recipe in August 2011 after switching brewers. I wasn't in love with the old recipe so I was excited to taste the new stuff.

A- Poured roughly into a pint glass, giving a two-finger white head atop a reddish/golden beer. Lightly carbonated. Head recedes slowly leaving good lacing near the top of glass.

S- This is what made me so excited the first time I had the new recipe. It's all citrus and piney hops. Smells awesome.

T- Like the smell, awesome. Good mix between bitter and flavor on the hops. The citrus flavors (grapefruit?) override the pine but both are still recognizable. Guess it's the Galaxy and Cascade hops they use ... I love it.

M- Very little body, but the bittering provides good mouthfeel while drinking that fades quickly after swallowing.

O- I love it. I'd recommend it to others. It's my second favorite Texas IPA (to Real Ale Lost Gold).

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 22:27:10 | More by imasloth

MADhombrewer

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a ver cold glass. Had at backyard grill in Houston.

Appearance- Cloudy orange with very little head. Maybe due to the glass being so cold? Light, overall lacing.

Smell - I can't smell very much at all. When I stick my nose in the glass I do smell tropical fruits. Orange is very prominete.

Taste- A lot more bitter than what I thought it would be. Big malt backbone adds sweetness but not crazy.

Mouthfeel- A little thicker than I typicacly like but good none the less.

Overall- Good IPA. Easy drinking. Jenray sent me one of these as an extra awhile back but for some reason I didn't review it.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 01:24:07 | More by MADhombrewer

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +18%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

cloudy amber with a frothy white/creamy head and some decent lacing. Smell was a citrus hops, mixed with a malty caramel thta makes this smell quite balanced. Taste was definatly hoppy, and again had that bit of caramel, and some spiceness about it. Very nice dry finish and not overpowering on the hops. This is a good session beer and will definatly have more. Looking forward to getting some on tap!

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 05:47:27 | More by mikesgroove

StoneBrewFanatic

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours cloudy amber/orange into my snifter with one finger of head that has moderate retention and sticky lacing.

S - Big citrus hops, grapefruit and orange, pine, sweet caramel malts, and faint biscuit.

T - Very bitter from start to finish, nice citrus hops, grapefruit rind and orange, earthy and piny on the back end, sweet caramel malts barely make themselves known through the bitterness.

M - Smooth and creamy, nice feel.

O - I really do like this beer, but in all honestly it's just not very balanced. Love the hops and bitterness for that matter, just needs a little more malt backbone to support it.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 22:55:31 | More by StoneBrewFanatic

RomaniIteDomum

Florida

3.3/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks, Travis, for sending this beer over.

Pours orange with a good number of floaties, one of which is the size of a pea. The head is nice, but fades quickly.

The smell is full of bright tangerines and pine. This smells quite nice.

Taste wise, it is a little high on the bitter scale without as much depth or structure. Pine, tangerine, and sweet lemon notes abound, but they aren't as coherent as they should be.

The feel is nice and creamy. Just enough body.

Overall, this was good, but I think I would enjoy it more on tap. I get the feeling from other reviews that there are bottling issues, but I do feel a pretty damn good brew hiding under the imperfections I found in this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 05:40:17 | More by RomaniIteDomum

deepchills

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I bought a 6pack of 12oz bottles at The Whip In in Austin, Texas. This beer was my primary brew at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, unfortunately it was the first beer to run out at the festivals only craft beer tent.

Pours yellow/gold with a small head that goes away immediately. Lots of dry hop floaties in this beer, not as much as Green Flash’ West Coast IPA, but you get the idea.

Grapefruit and pine on the nose with a nice malty smell early.

Grapefruit and lots of bitter hops jump out right away. A darker sweetness from all the malts accompanies the hops in the middle, it’s a nice combo, I wish there were more. There is a slight Lager taste in the finish, not sure what to contribute it to or a better way to state what I’m tasting.

Overall there is a thinness to this beer, maybe 94 IBU isn’t enough with all the Malts that come with it? The 7% ABV is well concealed in this IPA. There are so many great choices there that you can normally find a better IPA, but this is an interesting changeup, I like supporting Texas breweries, so I will drink this again the next time I’m in Austin.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 22:00:23 | More by deepchills

ccrida

Oregon

2.65/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Murky, very dark gold, it looks thick. Basically flat, the lightest wisp of skim.

Smell is muted, a touch skunky, sweetness as it warms, apricots, English ale esters perhaps, lots of caramel.

Taste is blah, like a malty pale ale, fairly bitter, especially on the lingering aftertaste, but no hop flavor really, perhaps a touch of citrus. There's a flash of sweetness mid-palate, a touch fruity, melon, but quickly overshadowed by a bitter, long finish, with a bit of hops peeking out on the aftertaste. A touch of alcoholic heat and plasticy phenols as well.

Mouthfeel is dry, medium bodied, not as thick as it looked, but heavy for sure, at least for my taste in the style.

Drinkability is ok. It's not at all my taste in the style, which is very light malt and huge hops. The flaws are modest though, and overall it's fairly bland for the style, that I could suck it down without pain, but without pleasure as well. Below average overall.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 21:29:17 | More by ccrida

birchstick

Missouri

2.93/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - pours an orangeish copper color without much of a head on it

S - smells of cinnamon, grapefruit, and caramel malts; not much of a hop presence on the nose

T - caramel and bready malts form the backbone of this beer and steal the battle for most dominant flavor on the palate. Ends with earthy, grassy hops that are dominated by the malts on the exhale. Not a very hoppy IPA.

M - full body with low carbonation; average

D - If this was a pale ale I would have rated it higher. However, given that it is an IPA it fell short of the mark in the hop category. I was expecting a bit more out of this, especially given the giant hop leaf on the label.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 15:25:42 | More by birchstick

augustgarage

California

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Welcome extra courtesy of lnashsig (thanks!). Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Very cloudy gradient of Persian-Orange to Pink-Orange topped by a lasting dense finger of papaya whip merengue. Heavy soapy lacing. Superior retention.

Faint biscuity malt aroma with a hint of orange marmalade; otherwise not much in the nose.

Bread crusts, white pepper, and thyme on the palate - moderately bitter though the breadiness negates the hops in the finish to some degree. Very earthy somewhat spicy, but surprisingly little fruit or bite throughout.

Well carbonated, soft, pillowy, and not-quite-medium bodied.

Most hop-heads will probably find this to be too malt-forward, but I enjoyed it anyway, and think it would pair well with low-and-slow smokey bbq among other things.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 04:24:05 | More by augustgarage

HopsKeepDroppin

Texas

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into my Maudite brandy snifter.

A- A nice copper color with yeast floating around after being stirred up by the pour. Very thin layer of head that dissapears quickly.

S- Very strong citrus hop smell and I pick up the slightest amount of malt.

T- Bitterness shines through at the beginning but then it balances out with the malt. Like the smell the hops add a citrus character to the taste.

M- This IPA isn't super carbonated and it really plays to it's advantage. Very smooth and drinkable.

O- It is a little more bitter than some of the other IPAs brewed here in Texas but still isn't super hoppy by any means. I say it would make a fine gateway IPA for someone that hasn't tried the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 03:26:51 | More by HopsKeepDroppin