Nickel Brook Headstock IPA - Better Bitters Brewing Co.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed on tap at Bar Volo, IPA day. Neutral aroa, malting A lacey beer with a reddish tinged body. Above average carboantion and lighter than average outhfeel. Some bitternes, not all that tasty, the bitter flavour more in the finish and chalky on first sips, as filler.So-so drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2011 00:09:19 | More by northyorksammy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Can: Poured a deep orangey color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of earthy and bitter hops is dominating. Taste is a good mix between some earthy hops with a medium bitter finish. Caramel malt backbone provides a nice balance to the hops with some light residual sugar. Body is quite full with good carbonation. A bit too sweet for my taste but still enjoyable nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 16:52:53 | More by Phyl21ca

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

473ml can, nice spacey Woodstock-esque imagery on the label - I especially like the bugged-out appearing bird.

This beer pours a hazy, muddled dark bronzed amber colour (pale ale, my tuckus), with three fingers of roiling, foamy, raw cake-like eggshell white head, which leaves some nice chunky, broken cage lace around the glass as it slowly ebbs southward.

It smells of bitter citrus cream and pine oil, blended seamlessly with a weighty caramel toffee sweetness. The taste is more tart, bitter grapefruit rind, some softer tropical citrus fruit, not so soft pine resin, and a sturdy caramel pudding malt backbone, quite capable of weathering, and somewhat withering, the hop onslaught. Booze warming? Not so much.

The bubbles punch in, punch out, and put in their work day, with no complaints, the body a bit on the light side, which seems to work, and further feeds a snappy, good enough for now smoothness. It finishes leaning towards a grudging detente, the hops wilting just a tad, and malt digging in.

Well, I'll be, another well-rounded, big flavoured IPA from Ontario, and in a can, no less. Nice and hoppy, in a big-boy way, with a countering malt that states firmly: you're still in Canada, son. This is going camping with me this summer.

Serving type: can

05-25-2012 03:44:15 | More by biboergosum

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

"Pale" is usually a misnomer when it comes to India Pale Ales. It certainly is in this case: baring a bit of orange gloss, the beer is basically brown. *Head*stock, however, is aptly named: thick, bubbly foam shoots in every direction like Medusa's hair and leaves a lacing so detailed and particular you'd think it was made by Faberge.

The aroma is a wickedly enticing blend of candied orange peel and sappy pine resins. A lot of pineapple is noted too, as is the general herbal-leafy notes that necessarily characterize a good hop job. The fruitiness of the hops is elevated by toasty, lightly caramelized malts. The bouquet, somewhat impressively, contains as much sweetness as bitterness.

80 units of bitterness and 7% alcohol isn't too hard to swallow for a drinker like me who is long accustomed to, and finds highly gratifying, strong and bitter beers. For those used to pale lagers, however, a beer like this might just make them cringe. The leafy, herbal hop astringency is almost puckering it's so bitter. It's like drinking fruit pith.

All that being said, there's plenty of nutty, chewy, caramelized maltiness in there that makes things a little more palatable. The flavor of the hops too - candied orange peel, pineapple fruit, pine resin - are pretty appealing also. Put another way, this isn't just an IPA for IPA makers; it should suit the average craft beer drinker just fine.

...And that is how it suits me. Not great. But "just fine". It's a beer I like well enough to buy often, though I probably won't. It's a beer I can't really find any faults in, though I think there's room for improvement. One thing is for certain though, it's a welcomed and really successful offering from this brewery. With this they've raised their standards.

Serving type: can

05-23-2012 17:40:35 | More by biegaman

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

500ml can poured into tulip 27/4/12 thanks liamt07 for sending the can

A dark for the style looks reddish brown, murky with little chunks floating around in a thick looking liquid, dense two fingers of beige foam has great retention and leaves a few rings of lace followed by random patches, looking great

S floral and piney hops with some grapefruit and tangerine, not all hops but pretty close just a little caramel malt create some balance and some booze is there but not too bad

T slightly more toffee and more rind then the nose, similar other then that and pretty solid if you ask me

M full bodied with creamy carbonation and a nice bitter bite, leaves a little behind in you mouth, no booze detected and a long piney rind aftertaste, no issues here

O pretty solid stuff going on here, nothing to complain about and it looks and feels great, well rounded IPA

not sure what beer all the others are reviewing because I though this was a solid IPA that I`d be happy to put in my regular rotation If I could get it here. thanks again liamt07 for the can

Serving type: can

04-28-2012 06:46:36 | More by wordemupg

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

473ml Can from the LCBO for 2.65

Appearance - Slightly hazy copper colour with an average size fizzy beige coloured head. There is a below average amount of carbonation and there is some fair/good lacing. The head lasted for 5 minutes.

Smell - Malts, caramel, apricots, grapefruit, hops

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste hops, malts, and caramel. There is also a bit of an earthiness and some light fruit flavours such as apricots and grapefruit/oranges. The beer ends with a malty sweet aftertaste and a surprising amount of lingering hop bitterness.

Overall - Reminds me a bit of a smashbomb mixed with a Beau's IPeh. It's a welcome addition to the lacking hoppy beer scene in Ontario. I'd buy it again.

Serving type: can

05-09-2012 23:57:41 | More by spinrsx

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Can from the LCBO, 473ml into a tulip. Best before September 23, 2012.

Poured an unfiltered deep red, some shades of brown perhaps as well. Soapy offwhite head, good lacing and some chunky bits of head retain. Hops are strong in this one, completely evident once cracking the can. Citrusy and piney, with some sweet caramel and earthy like malt notes. A little gentler on the palate but still strong hops, slight spicy, citrusy, piney with a relatively bready and caramel malt flavour - fairly secondary to the hops still. A bit chewy, bitterness is fairly potent but diminishes quickly. Medium mouthfeel and medium low carbonation - a level which I tend to enjoy my IPAs best. Surprisingly good, a good addition to the IPA scene in Ontario. Brew this in small batches Nickel Brook, and keep this fresh on the shelves.

Serving type: can

04-07-2012 00:04:00 | More by liamt07

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Fresh bottle from the brewery poured in to Founders tulip.

A - Medium to dark amber colour with an orange glow around the edges and one finger of cream coloured head. Some sediment.

S - Some citrus and big herbal notes from the hops with a big bitterness present up front. The background adds some sweet caramel.

T - Sharp bitterness up front with herbal and earthy hop notes and some light floral notes. A slightly sweet malt base provides a some balance.

M - Medium body, somewhat creamy. Light to moderate carbonation. A dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 22:23:48 | More by TheSevenDuffs

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

From old notes.

A - Poured hazy copper with good carbonation coming up. One finger of beige head. Minimal lace, half finger retention.

S - Citrus, bread, a bit of pine, very inviting and strong.

T - Juicy with some pine there as well. Really tasty, juicy, and citrussy.

M - Good carbonation, medium body, nice bitterness.

O/D - One of the better IPAs in Ontario right now. Lovely flavour with a high drinkability for the ABV. A nice one to have in these parts.

Serving type: can

02-05-2013 13:34:21 | More by tbeckett

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.48/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice murky dark amber colour, with a beige two finger of head dissipating to some webby lacing. There's a bit more sweet caramel malts in the aroma than hops, but there are some pine, citrus and floral hops notes. The taste has a nice mellow, but assertive bitterness, with some floral and citrus hop notes with touches of pine. The feel was smooth and slick, with a medium body.

Pretty good and solid IPA!

Serving type: can

09-22-2012 00:13:49 | More by EgadBananas

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Originally had this at The Rib & Craft Beer Festival a couple years ago in Kitchener Ontario. Thought it was outstanding then. Was really happy to see it canned in the LCBO when I went home this past summer, so I was sure to stock up.

From a 16oz can into a snifter
80 IBUs

Note: Tested this one as part of the Great Ontarian IPA Showdown against Railway City's Dead Elephant, Muskoka Mad Tom IPA, and Double Trouble's Hops & Robbers.

APPEARANCE: Pours a one finger, medium looking, off-white head with good retention. Opaque, hazy, burnt orange body with very low levels of carbonation evident. Head eventually fades to a full wisp. A splotchy film remains until the end and leaves touches of lacing down the glass. Good, but needs a thicker head and more lacing for top marks.

SMELL: Pretty big nose on this one. Pale malts, honeydew melon, grapefruit and lemon citrus aromas as well. Some piney hop notes in there too. Quite impressive for sure.

TASTE: Pale malts and melon sweetness up front, then piney and citrus grapefruit at the swallow. Lots of bitterness as well. Big and lingering aftertaste of piney, bitter hops, lemon citrus and grapefruit with just a touch of melon sweetness as balance. Quite flavorful and interesting.

PALATE: Fuller body with medium levels of carbonation. Very creamy smooth on the palate, goes down fine and finishes quite dry. Good stuff all around.

OVERALL: Just wonderful. This was the beer of the festival a couple years back, and it is just as good in can form as I remember it. Maybe the only Ontario brewed IPA that I'd be proud to showcase around the world. This one blew away the competition in the Ontario Showdown. Great job on this one guys. Keep it coming.

Serving type: can

08-28-2012 19:27:30 | More by Jeffo

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance. Pours a deep red-orange with two fingers of thick, lightly amber tinted head that lasts a while and paints the sides of the glass.

Smell. Big piney hops, some toasty grains and caramel and a little citrus.

Taste. Great tasting toasty grains, waves of piney hops and cirtus rinds, but not in an overwhelming way. Good bitter finish with a little toastyness still backing up those hops.

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body with medium carbonation.

Overall. My kind of ipa. I'm really liking the malt flavours in this one, and the hops were fantastic. Thanks liamt07!! From CANBIF

Serving type: can

05-28-2012 02:58:31 | More by Rutager

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

from notes
A - Hazy bubbly burnt orange, tall tan head, solid retention
S - Pine, citrus, pepper, bready
T - Pine and citrus hops, then grain and caramel, peppery finish
M - Full feel medium carbo, finishes slightly bitter
O - not outstanding but for a random purchase this turns out to be a worthy enough treat

Serving type: can

11-23-2012 02:06:45 | More by joemcgrath27

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours murky orange with some flocculated yeast chunks floating around. The head is patchy and shortlived, not much foam clings to the glass. Some light tropical fruit and citrus notes in the nose. Piney hops are upfront in the first sip, followed quickly by an astringent character, almost metallic. Its not overbearing but it does detract a bit from the hops. The malt profile is diminutive and simple, just some sweetness. Alcohol spicyness is present in the finish, as well as some bitterness and that same astringency.

An OK IPA, but some flavor imperfections. I'd try it on tap for sure. Its definitely hop forward.

Serving type: can

04-25-2012 01:00:33 | More by CAMRAhardliner

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

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

Deep amber/copper colour, almost 2 fingers tan/off white head, some lace. Pine and citrus upfront on the nose, lightly biscuity malt profile, grapefruit and tangerine there as well, light alcohol notes come and go. Taste is of floral hops and lightly sweet, big maltyness comes through, nice bitterness throughout, pine with some citrus in the aftertaste, buttery at points. Lightly oily, medium carbonation, light to medium weight. Not bad altogether but could use some work to be top notch, still pretty enjoyable though.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2011 14:53:55 | More by peensteen

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

BB April 12 2013.

Beer pours a murky caramel. Fairly large off-white head. Dissipates at a moderate pace, leaves a bit of lace.

Hops are upfront in the nose. Lots of citrus, orange and grapefruit. Mango. A bit of pine. Caramel malt.

Taste is similar to the nose, but the malts are a bit heavier. Moderately bitter, with the tropical side of the hops poking through a bit more than citrus (both are present). Caramel malt, a bit of biscuit.

Medium bodied, highly carbonated. I find it a bit irritating. Bready, oily.

Overall, quite good. One of the better Ontario IPAs.

Serving type: can

09-22-2012 21:45:45 | More by jrenihan

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from a can picked up at the Lower Jarvis LCBO. Digging the Woodstock poster motif for some reason. For some reason I always associate American IPAs with the colour orange, so the colour just felt right.

Poured into a nonic. Deep amber ruby, slight haze, about an inch of head that levelled off into a fine ring.

Nose is light, but all IPA. Citrus, caramel, peach, a bit of lemon, pale malt.

Decent IPA, with notes of pine, earth, citrus and caramel. Tasty, drinkable ale, though a little bit sweet for my personal preferences. Still, enjoyable.

Mild carbonation, medium bodied, slight oil.

Another enjoyable IPA from Ontario, and part of a string of good brews from Nickel Brook. Worth a try if you see it on Ontario shelves - nice IPA in a can for the summer.

Serving type: can

04-16-2012 00:24:01 | More by JohnnyBarman

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

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

Thanks to Chad for this one.

Poured from a 473ml. can, Exp Nov 17 12.

Appearance: Pours a quasi orange body with a thick ecru head that clings all around.

Smell: Pine, grapefruit rinds, some caramel sweetness and tangerines as well.

Taste: Sweet pine & mango mixed with grapefruit. Flavor is a bit tame but good.

Mouthfeel: I like the malt sweetness blending with the low bitterness. Has a thick, creamy feel.

Overall: A decent IPA that has some good things going for it.

Serving type: can

05-14-2012 11:48:25 | More by papat444

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hazy red under a moderate head that settles to a heavy film and gives spotty lace.

Nose is hops and a hint of alcohol. Sweet on the palate to start, finishes with lingering bitterness. Grapefruit hops and alcohol to taste, not a lot else. Kind of one dimensional as IPAs go. Drinkable, but unremarkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 00:48:56 | More by TerryW

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Can into pint glass.

A- Hazy dark copper pour with a two finger off white head. Lacing is excellent.

S- Bright floral hops, bitter citrus with a sweetness of strawberries and caramel from the malts.

T- Bitter pine and citrus with a heavy dose of malt and toffee.

M- Light to medium, slightly creamy, good carbonation.

O- Solid for an Ontario IPA will carry stock in the fridge when I can.

Serving type: can

04-22-2012 02:25:29 | More by korguy123

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

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

Poured fridge cold into a tulip glass. Recieved in trade via jeffo, thanks!

A Hazy deep copper with tons of tan head and nice lacing. Earthy pine needles on nose. Light notes of grapefruit develop given time. An OK nose, but it really needs more aroma. Body has decent bitterness with a strong sweet caramel malt presence balancing it a little too well. Bitterness builds well with decent hop flavours of earth, dank hops & pine. A solid IPA considering that Ontario, until recently, has had barely passable IPAs and Nickelbrook is hardly a craft brewery of any reknown.

Serving type: can

08-04-2012 18:08:43 | More by kjyost

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An excellent Ontario-brewed American IPA.

Pours a dark and hazy copper with decent white head. Retention is not outstanding, but the residual lacing remains visually appealing. Mouthfeel is sharper and thinner than I would have expected from this much robust flavour, so although enjoyable, mouthfeel the weakest of the beer’s characteristics.

Enticing aroma of citrus, predominantly grapefruit, with a malted barley backbone. Stunning flavour of "west coast" tropical fruits and citrus, with pineapple and mango moving to the fore. Enough caramelized malts to truly classify as an American IPA versus an APA. Ends with a delightfully bitter finish in which the citrus lingers for an impressive length of time, before becoming a hop sharpness.

A lot of character and would definitely recommend.

Serving type: can

10-11-2012 01:32:49 | More by hopsolutely

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tallboy can from the LCBO; best before Nov 30 2012. I am a self-professed IPA fan, and this is one of the random ones I happened to pick up during my last stop. I've had one decent beer from this brewery, and a few lame ones, so I'm not sure what to expect.

Pours a muddy brownish-amber colour, much cloudier than a lot of the IPAs I've been having recently. The dense, creamy, off-white head seated atop the liquid sticks around for a decent bit, and leaves some good thick lacing behind when it finally bites the dust. Looks good to me. Nice fresh aroma with lots of citrus zest, pine needles, along with some juicy pineapple notes. This is underlain by some faint bready malts and brown sugar. Rather subdued, however, and nothing unusually good for the style.

I am in love with this stuff after one sip. The taste is heavy on the hops, of course - their powerful fruity flavours dominate the profile of this brew. I can pick up pineapple, tangerine, lemon and earthy pine resin as well, and all of the flavours blend together wonderfully. Modest malt bill; some caramel sweetness, but it's hard to make out much else. Strong, fruity, lingering bitter aftertaste that coaxes you into another sip. Medium bodied, with moderate carbonation levels that make for a slightly crisp, but highly refreshing brew. Slightly oily, with the 7% alcohol quite well hidden even at colder temperatures.

This is not a balanced IPA - the flavour is highly astringent, and I would not recommend it to anyone unaccustomed to bitter, hoppy beers. That being said - there is plenty of room in this style for unbalanced beers, and this is a highly palatable example that I really enjoyed drinking.

Final Grade: 4.03, just barely edging into A minus territory. Headstock IPA isn't something I'd want to session, but I have a feeling I'll still be buying plenty of it (assuming I continue to see it on shelves). I have been very impressed with a lot of the OCB IPAs I've tried recently, and this is another one to add to the list. Highly recommended if you are a hophead, and easily the best concoction from this brewer - of the ones I've tried so far. Excellent value for the price.

Serving type: can

06-21-2012 07:58:05 | More by thehyperduck

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From notes

Appearance: It has a nice deep orange/amber color to it. It has a nice off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of citrus, mango, grapefruit (very tropical) with some piney notes and some bready malts.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has some nice citrus, grapefruit and mango along with some piney notes and bready and caramelly malts.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas. Definitely one of the better IPA's in Ontario.

Serving type: can

08-02-2012 19:36:41 | More by SebD

CanuckRover

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours really dark, orange but with a serious reddish tint. Big beige head and nice sticky lacings to the finish.

Really don't get too much on the nose. Vaguely fruity but... not as aromatic as I'd like.

Hops are bright citrus right up front, but don't blink or you'll miss them. Pine bitterness hangs around, but the flavour profile switches to darker malts, burnt caramel.

A malt-heavy offering, firmly in the Canadian IPA category.

Serving type: can

05-04-2012 22:07:33 | More by CanuckRover