Caldera IPA - Caldera Brewing Company

drewba

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to mages64 & psiweaver for hitting a perma-want in the partners BIF!

A – Orangey-rust with a fantastic fluffy cream colored head. Great head retention which hangs around for a good 10 minutes. There are two fairly prominent floaties in here; not sure if they're hops, or pieces of Oregon.

S – The aroma is a little subdued, but what I'm getting out of it, I like. Lots of really earthy pinecones and trees, orange marmalade, light grass and a fair amount of caramel dipped bread.

T – I don't see a date on the can, but I think this might be on the older side. BUT, being just over the hill doesn't stop this from being delicious. The hop profile is on the mild side, but maintains for the entire taste with fresh cut grass, lemon soda, barely bitter grapefruit and spruce. The malt that backs all of that up comes out in toasted nuts, lightly sweet caramel, hearty rye bread. There is a really nice balance going on here – while I would like the hops to stand up a little more, the malt profile is still second fiddle. But even though the malt characteristics take a backseat to the hops, the nut+caramel bread combo is fantastic.

M – No problems here – medium bodied, a touch on the syrupy side with an understated carbonation pop.

O – Easily a beer I could drink by the six pack. Also would be good for a newer ipa drinker who need some malt balance and isn't bitter to the point of no return.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 21:51:07 | More by drewba

coldriver

Texas

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

12 oz bottle poured into Sam Adams glass. Good head and lacing, pours a deep amber. Aroma is citrus piney hops, with a bit of toffee. Taste has a great hop profile, bitter piney yet plenty of flavorful citrus fruit as well. Dry finish, medium viscosity. Overall a very nice west coast style IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 20:04:13 | More by coldriver

wedge

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Slightly hazed orange-amber with a towering head of persistent, lumpy foam. Sugary citrus zestiness, green pine, and a crackery/doughy note in the nose. Very smooth hoppy flavor. It doesn't smack you in the face with any sort of brashness, just lovely fresh hops...orange and pine (definitely some Simcoe in there) with a gradualy increasing bitterness that tends to stick to the inside of the mouth. Not particularly "bright", it leans more towards the dark and dank side with just the right amount of malty sweetness and a touch of honey. Medium bodied, oily, and bitter. Very nice!

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 23:55:22 | More by wedge

Klym

California

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

Bought a 6 pack at my local grocery store. Poured into a stone nonic.

A very pretty and pretty tastey IPA. Comes through with some thick texture and dark fruit flavor initially and transforms into juicy hops finishing with a tad of extreme bitterness. A really well rounded, perfectly B+ IPA that is very cost effective if you're looking for something to knock a few back of and enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 03:17:58 | More by Klym

BerkeleyBeerMan

California

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright and Hazy unfiltered red-orange honey color with a light creamy off-white head.

Smell: Big amount of spicy floral aroma. Rose hip, lavender and citrus. Green grass, tomato and cucumber. Firm toasted biscuit malt base. Fresh baked bread and buttered croissant.

Taste: Natural garden grasses and flowers. Leaf. Pine. Very tasty with subtle bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied slighty chewy malts . Light with a bittersweet finish.

Overall: Very good unique IPA. I like the whole flower quality. A little on the high price end and not very available in my area. I'd love to try it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 06:16:45 | More by BerkeleyBeerMan

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this very nice IPA on-tap at Brewer's Haven in Boise, Idaho after I had completed a little beer shopping. Poured amber with a nice head and great lacing. Smells very fruity with candied orange peel and grapefruit pith. The taste is very full, with bitter hops, breadiness. Sharp pine and earth in the hop profile. A little chewy in the mouth, but ovarall this is dry, bitter, and delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2011 20:20:35 | More by Georgiabeer

Dope

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Nice amber color with quite an impressive head. About what you'd expect from a good IPA :)

S: Very citrusy, lots of grapefruit, lemons, etc..

T: Surprisingly non-bitter. Tastes closer to an APA than an IPA. Nice clean grapefruit with a bit of bitterness on the back end (but not too much).

M: Surprisingly light. Carbonation suits it perfect to keep it crisp.

O: Overall pretty impressive for a beer I've never heard of. Not too hoppy, not too malty, not too bitter, just does everything pretty well (but not amazingly, admittedly).

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 05:06:52 | More by Dope

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce can. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a hazy amber color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention is pretty good, and there is a lot of lacing left behind on the glass. Aroma is herbal and citrusy hops, along with a bit of sweet malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, it's mostly hops with some sweet malt noticable too. There's also a nice lingering bitter hoppy finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's slick with moderate carbonation. It's easy enough to drink. I think it's a good solid IPA. I'd buy this one again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 23:40:45 | More by bluejacket74

shand

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz can into a nonic. Thanks to BA redbird.

This brew pours a cloudy golden-amber color crested with two fingers of head that retains well and leaves great lacing. The smell is great. Hops, grapefruit, and some caramel malts. A normal IPA nose, but done well. The taste is that of a well-done, well-balanced IPA. The malts and hops are quite harmonious, neither taking over too far. There's some ever present grapefruit here as well. The aftertaste does bring in a great deal of hop resin over malts. Mouthfeel and drinkability are both solid. Just a well-done IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 03:35:58 | More by shand

LukeD23

Delaware

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a really nice sunburnt orange. Subtle head is off white and minimal.

Aroma - Lots of citrus, and tangy aromas, a little bit of dankness. I get clementine and tangerine, apricot, and a little peach.

Flavor - solid bitterness with a crisp hop flavor. I get a good earthy flavor with a nice caramel note in the backround. Good malt backbone with biscuit and cracker dry notes.

Overall- good everyday drinker IPA. Lots of hop goodness with a solid malt flavor to back it up.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 01:38:34 | More by LukeD23

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Acquired from Tiklmelmo courtesy of the Hometown BIF, so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz can into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light golden brown color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains floral hops, fruity citrus and caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of citrus and caramel that are quickly followed by strong but not over-powering and very complementary hops bitterness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and provides a very good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly hoppy.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, decent kick, very good representation of style, this is a very solid IPA that is worth drinking for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 22:12:07 | More by TheManiacalOne

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured a copperish orange color with good carbonation and a nice white head

S: Caramel, bread, pine and light booze

T: Taste follows nose pretty well. Balanced, with a good caramel and breadiness, floral and pine notes

M: Nice lingering bitterness and sweet, sticky feel

D: Good

Serving type: growler

09-11-2010 20:39:24 | More by barleywinefiend

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a hazy burnt orange. A billowy 3 finger head. Average lacing.

S - Big citrus aroma, caramel, hints of alcohol, dried herbs.

T - Citrus hops with some strawberry fruitiness. Some floral spice in the back fades into toasted caramel malt. The malt has a nice sweetness that keeps the hops from taking over everything.

The malt seems shy at first but opens up as you go. My first IPA out of a can. Very easy drinking. Good stuff!

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2010 02:53:36 | More by StaveHooks

JTahoe

California

3.88/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on tap at Uber Tavern, poured in a standard pint.

A - Amber-gold with nice off-white head that leaves pretty decent lace sticking all over the glass.

S - snappy pine and citrus rind.

T - Pine resinous and bitter herbal hops with nice grainy backbone.

M - nice coating medium body with risp carbonation and fry finish.

D - Fairly layered for a somewhat straight forward flavor profile, revealing itself over time which makes it more drinkable than it seems at first.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 04:57:21 | More by JTahoe

BevMoAndrew

California

3.73/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a standard pint glass at about 40-45 degrees.

Shows an orange-like copper in the pint with a nice white froth. Citrus and pine hops jump out of the glass with orange, lime, dried apricot, subtle peach (I know...it's weird, but that's what I got), pine, and easy hop leaves followed by a clear caramel, biscuit, and a touch of cereal grains. On the palate, there is a medium hop bitterness that shows fron the beginning through the finish that is smooth, but a little lean and kind of weak for an IPA. Although the beer is very smooth, balanced, and easy to drink, I was looking for more of a hop presence from this beer (being that's it's a west coast style IPA). Overall, it's a solid IPA that is very easy to drink, but one that left me looking for more.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2009 15:51:18 | More by BevMoAndrew

Finn

Pennsylvania

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

A: A light orange gold, with modest tightly knit bit of head that stays.

S: Nice piney, grapefruit and citrus, hint of biscuity malts

T: First flavors are a strong, piney, grapefruit bite, with a tad of crystalish malts barely balancing it out, then a bitter finish of resinous west coast hops.

M: Medium bodied, average carbonation, slightly sticky, cloying finish. maybe from the hops.

D: Decent drinkability, though I've had much more drinkable IPA's. Still a very delicious west coast IPA well worth the try. Just probably wouldn't make this session beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 02:52:28 | More by Finn

RoyalT

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - This is a shiny bronze in color with a modest head that showed good retention and left some nice lattice work on the inside of my glass.

Smell - The hops are deep, rich, and complex here and quickly surpass the good malty base of this ale. There's a beautiful orange citrus here that isn't too sweet but more like the aroma of a fine orange liqueur. The stiff pine gives a contrasting compliment to the citrus and a bit of lemongrass to complete the puzzle.

Taste - The big malt base, almost like a DIPA, comes on much stronger at the taste and is amazingly able to hold its own against these huge, complex hops. The pine from the nose steps back a bit on the tongue but otherwise this ale tastes like it smells.

Mouthfeel - This is a solid medium-bodied with some large bitterness that is tempered by the light toffee sweetness of the malts. The carbonation is rightly light and overall this IPA has a terrific mouthfeel.

Drinkability - This is a big, complex IPA that seems like a double until you notice that the ABV is just slightly over 6%.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2009 01:58:16 | More by RoyalT

cerveza5150

California

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a hazy orange/reddish with a soapy, foamy head. Lots of bubbles of small carbonation.

S: Pine, citrus, and grapefruit all the way, almost to the point of smelling like a Fresca! (how's that for an obscure reference). The malt is also noticeable in the form of a little fruitness.

T: Wow! The hops pack a whallop both in the nose and in the finish of the taste, but the sweet malt coats the tongue and the throat and balances out nicely. The aftertaste of so many hops does take down the mouthfeel a bit, but the taste is definitely...tasty!!!

M: The hops sting a bit, even in the mouthfeel, but the malt is moderately thick, which helps wash everything down. The only drawback I can see is that the hops stick around so much in the aftertaste. It wants me to drink more, but it still is a little surprising.

D: This is a good IPA. Almost like a Firestone Pale Ale supercharged; the hops are front and center, and the malt does its job to try and balance it, but the overall impression is HOPS. I like this, and like the idea of cans, but this is NOT for folks who don't like it bitter!!

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2009 02:13:41 | More by cerveza5150

meatyard

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out a clear, amber/orange with a 2-finger, thick, white head that leaves moderate, splotchy lacing.
The smell is both fruity and malty, malt dominates.
Taste is fruity, citrus hops up front then overtaken by a strong malt flavor and finishes with bitterness.
Mouthfeel is medium, well-carbonated at first but low later.
Drinkability is fine. I like it and many of those who like IPAs will also.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2009 19:43:50 | More by meatyard

tronester

Oklahoma

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear orange with a big tan head. Smells of citrus. Taste is very citrusy up front, with a nice caramel malt middle, and an herbal, smoky hop finish. Nice bitterness that clings to your tongue. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, nice low carbonation. Drinkability is great, several of these in a row wouldnt be difficult. A super choice for an IPA which conveniently comes in a can.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2009 00:14:42 | More by tronester

jdense

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the EOU faculty lounge in The Big.

Light orange body under one finger slowly dissapating white head, exceptional lacing. Floral hops in the nose with light sweetness of malt, not too sweet. A very nice balance of grassy, grapefruit hops with delicate malty overtones on the taste buds. Nice carbonation in mouthfeel, and a very drinkable brew. A very pleasant surprise, looking forward to trying this in cans on a hot summer day.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2009 17:02:42 | More by jdense

DIM

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

a: This was a very pale, clear golden color. It was served to me with craggy, sticky head that stuck around for awhile.

s: Big piney hop nose with a little lemon.

t: This tasted very fresh. Sweet flavors of toffee and then a big piny hop blast at the end.

m: Fabulous carbonation, long lasting. Perfect.

d: One of the best IPAs I've tried. Great stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2008 10:48:12 | More by DIM

kirok1999

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to rayjay for the extra in a trade.
Pours a slightly hazy orange with a nice, tight white head that laces like glue.
Smells of massive amounts of hops, damn near all of them. Lots of citrus and pine, with some caramel malt as well.
Tastes wonderfully hoppy, tons of pine and citrus yet an almost grainy note, also slightly vegetal. There is a lot of malt here to back things up, there's a nice tight carbonation and it feels dense.
Very easy to drink on after an evening of flying frizbee.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2008 00:54:06 | More by kirok1999

PhxHorn

Arizona

2.3/5  rDev -42.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Ordered this from Liquid Solutions with my Abyss order. Pours a dark yellow, with a good deal of white foam which sticks to the glass. Smells like a strong IPA, citrusy. Taste is where the problem was. Hardly any citrus taste at all, no malt either, just a one-dimensional sour bitterness that was very unpleasant. Not happening and not drinkable at all. I couldn't finish this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2008 04:05:01 | More by PhxHorn

ElGordo

Oregon

4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap at the Horse Brass Pub in Portland. Pours a slightly hazy golden color topped by a beautiful creamy white head. Nice, creamy lacing all the way down the glass. Nose of fresh, spicy hops and a touch of light sweet malt. Palate is redolent of spicy hops, light sweet malt, and notes of pine, black pepper, grass, and just a hint of bready sweetness. Body is absolutely perfect - rich, creamy, and without the syrupy character that many stronger IPAs tend to carry. Man, I chose the right one here. I'd drink this every day if it were available where I live.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2006 20:53:32 | More by ElGordo