Bitter End India Pale Ale - Port Townsend Brewing Company

Tupperwolf

Washington

2.78/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very clear amber color, no haze whatsoever, with a somewhat reluctant but thick and fluffy eggshell head. One or two tiny bubbles rise. The head leaves behind some persistent lacing.

There's almost no smell here; What I do get is just a little honeyed malts - barely anything at all, and no discernable hop prescence in it.

Mild honeyed biscuit malts roll over the tongue for a long while, then there's a tiny bite of grapefruit on the swallow; A few breaths reveal a somewhat bitter aftertaste character. It tastes reasonably good, but seems rather watered down, especially for an IPA. The hop character isn't anywhere near as aromatic or flavorful as it should be, and the flavors are different than those in most northwest IPAs, a bit more English in style.

Watery sort of mouthfeel, mildly smooth, with little carbonation; A slightly clingy aftertaste.

This is tasty enough and has enough character to be easy to drink, but it's not my pick; I suppose it's a good lawnmower IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2006 19:02:50 | More by Tupperwolf

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-18-2013 03:39:56 | More by LXIXME

Asics

Washington

3.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-04-2013 03:42:09 | More by Asics

GJ40

North Carolina

3.1/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Sampled from a 22oz bottle purchased at Gravity Beer Market in Olympia, WA.

A - Straw colored with a slight haze and a big white head. It leaves some nice lacing behind.

S - Grassy, floral hops.

T - A mild flavor with a mediocre citrusy bitterness. It wasn't unpleasant but it was a bit weak for a west coast IPA. I saw the BA rating before reviewing it and wanted this beer to prove those reviews wrong but sadly they weren't far off.

M - A moderate, silky consistency and a low to moderate carbonation.

D - Easy to drink but not all that compelling. I'd readily move on to something else.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 02:23:35 | More by GJ40

bosco7

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a cloudy pale orange color.

Smells more of what you would expect in an American Pale Ale. Light citrus and floral aromas. Nothing in your face at all.

Starts really sweet, almost candy like. No malt flavors. The odd thing is that the beer seems quite watery. Bitter, but the hops just aren't there. Very mild orange and flower blossom flavors. Fermentation does not seem to be all that clean either. Finish is very bitter.

Overall this beer is not really up to snuff. Flavor really makes this beer hard to drink. Bitter sugar water.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2008 00:43:41 | More by bosco7

RJLarse

Washington

2.68/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I bought bomber of Port Townsend IPA in a grocery store while vacationing on the Olympic Peninsula.

I'll ditto Skyhand on this remark:
"This isn't called the Bitter End IPA but my bottle is identical to the photo here, so I'll just stick my review in this slot and assume it's all dandy."

Poured in to a pint glass.

Pours a pale gold color and is very hazy. Medium bodied bubbly white head, and average lacing. The head is a bit weak for the style.

Smell is curiously earthy. Not the hop and pine scents I expected. A fresh bread aroma is there, with some faint fruity citrus fragrances.

Taste is sweet with a honey flavor up front, then a little hoppy bitterness on the swallow.

Mouthfeel is smooth and a bit cloying. Mild carbonation. Not a real crisp drinking experience.

This is a nice beer, and drinkable, but not a great representation of the style. A little too sweet and a little too malty to be a great American IPA. Good drinking though.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2007 00:34:37 | More by RJLarse

RedDiamond

Oregon

3.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

As with most Port Townsend beers, this one was undercarbonated and showed no head or lace. It threw a sinewy, herbaceous aroma and delivered a curious flavor that was lemony and complex with notes of black tea. An unemphasized hop character caused Bitter End to come across as more of a pale ale or English bitter than an IPA, at least not a Northwest IPA.

This is a clean and approachable beer but the flavor seems mute and fatigued. A bit more vigor would inspire greater enthusiasm.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2006 23:17:06 | More by RedDiamond

DogFood11

California

2.23/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Nice old school label with a guy in a lookout on a boat yelling "there she brews". Good touch for a small northwest town to the northwest of Seattle.

Pours a hazy copper to golden. Aggressively poured achieves minimal results. lacing saves it from duldrums.

Some hop zips through this light mouthfeel brew. sticks around for a bit in the back of your throat. I don't know man this is way below average for the style. I purchased this on a trip to Seattle and after sampling some fine brews from the area this was a bit dissapointing. Taste was ok, very drinkable just not complete.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2006 04:30:35 | More by DogFood11

troutmask96

Washington

2.13/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Definitely stay away from this one. Pours a lager-like pale golden hue. Smell is of...well, hops, but not much else. Tastes a bit like I would imagine carbonated laundry water would. As I drank this, I was imagining a head brewer nefariously trying to get away with brewing the same grains twice. Is this an IPA lite?...

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2005 04:34:07 | More by troutmask96

beertaster13

Washington

3.5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a golden yellow with not much head to show for it, lacing is at a bare minimum. The smell is ripe with fresh spring flowers and citrus pulp. A nice butterscotch smell creeps in. The taste is a collection of citrus lemon with a nice sweet sugar. A buttery bread finish mixed with honey. A nice all around beer, was a great beer to have when was in Port Townsend.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2005 21:50:58 | More by beertaster13

GClarkage

California

3.25/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

10/15/05- Purchased at Bottleworks in Seattle, WA.

Presentation- 22oz bomber bottle with no dating on the label. Poured into a random pint glass.

Appearance- Semi-cloudy golden pour. Good sized 3/4 inch semi-creamy head with light lace.

Smell- Moderate amount of pine hops. Maybe a touch of a floral hop scent as well. Not much malt to speak of.

Taste- Hops, bitter hops and that's about it. Next to nothing in the malt category. Pine and maybe a very light touch of fruit hops. Very long lasting bitter aftertaste.

Mouthfeel- Pretty watery due to the lack of malt. Thin and a bit dry. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability- Hops and that's it...not even great hops. Just a bitter hop bomb.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2005 03:41:15 | More by GClarkage

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a pretty nice IPA that gives you the hops but really hangs its hat on balance. Mid gold with an okay head this beer has hops on the nose but not really the big PNW citrus blowout. The mouthfeel is full and quenching with a decent bitterness to the finish. I could see myself ordering a few pints of this due to the drinkability. A decent beer sadly available only at selected outlets in the surrounding area.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2005 02:21:29 | More by canucklehead

brakspear

Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: A 22 oz bottle with a label of a sailor in the crow's nest of a sailing ship: Port Townsend Brewing Co. I.P.A.

Appearance: the body is a cloudy and hazy orange with particles floating around. The head is a gorgeous billowy soft white head that reduces to 1/8 of an inch and clings to the glass nicely.

Aroma: The aroma is a mixture of caramel and basic maltiness topped with a generous but not overpowering blend of hops, perhaps some English hops because I do not detect the normally citrusy Cascade or Centennial hops.

Taste: A slight bite at the fore, followed by a malt-ladened middle, then a tailing hop bitterness. Not very biting compared to many Northwestern IPAs. Balanced quite well between the significant malt body and the hops, this beer has a filling body with some substance behind it.

In short, this is a good, but not spectacular IPA.

Thanks to EnTil for the sample.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2003 21:48:38 | More by brakspear