Brewers Reserve Imperial IPA - Old Schoolhouse Brewery

Cold

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Med. Amber/orange, slight uniform haze, no discrete suspended particulates. Thick, pastey off-white head.

S: Typical IIPA citric/fruity hop nose.

T: Strong citric/herbal, slightly floral hop bitterness throughout, backed up by modest biscuity malt bill that is careful to avoid compromising the hop profile.

M: Typical IIPA resinous, slightly syrupy thickness, smooth carbonation, with a touch of alcohol warmth from a respectable 9% ABV which, in all honesty, is fairly well masked, though by an impressive and tenacious lingering hop profile.

A: Honey sweetness mixed with hop bitterness.

Overall: It's certainly a good beer that any IIPA fan will enjoy...though at the same time, few IIPA fans will be terribly enthusiastic about this fairly typical representative of the "Big IPA" style. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing really stands out to separate it from the pack either.

3.5/5

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 03:12:04 | More by Cold

bifrost17

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

05-21-2013 19:29:21 | More by bifrost17

repkovalev

Washington

2.78/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

Poured a very nice amber and gold with good head and moderate lacing.

Nose was very off-putting. Surprisingly bad egg-like. Not totally gone. Not sulfur-like but on-their-way-out kind of scent. Stale scented. I first poured this into my usual Unibroue tulip glass. I was quite surprised at the unpleasant smell, so I poured it out, rinsed out the glass and poured another serving. No change in smell. I typically enjoy big, bold IPA's in this glass and it magnifies the robust hop and malt character of those beers. However, the nose of this beer really turned me off, and probably informs the rest of my review. As it probably should. I wound up pouring a smaller amount in a 6oz taster glass shaped like a mini-pint glass. I felt that made tasting improve...

Taste revealed a large amount of hopping, but didn't convey the boldness that I'd expect from the style. Kind of ash-like resonance to the flavor.

Mouthfeel was nice. Much brighter than expected from the style. Soft. Went well with food.

Overall, it's very difficult to get past the smell of this sample, and the taste doesn't convey "fresh" at all. Since I'm a WA beer guy, it left me wanting to try this on tap and compare the difference, as this bottled sample tasted a little below average for a representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 06:09:41 | More by repkovalev

sharpski

Oregon

4/5  rDev +3.4%

05-12-2013 16:35:45 | More by sharpski

slavall

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%

05-11-2013 03:20:27 | More by slavall

dwitt24

Washington

4.75/5  rDev +22.7%

04-29-2013 02:59:38 | More by dwitt24

benbjb

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

04-25-2013 16:26:35 | More by benbjb

KiMiRaiK

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

04-21-2013 21:39:24 | More by KiMiRaiK

Adamostella

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -16%

04-12-2013 15:47:05 | More by Adamostella

KenC

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%

04-08-2013 00:12:20 | More by KenC

jpbebeau

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

03-27-2013 22:00:26 | More by jpbebeau

weerezboy

Washington

4/5  rDev +3.4%

03-06-2013 21:29:35 | More by weerezboy

teamwiggum

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

02-27-2013 05:18:45 | More by teamwiggum

BillHilly

Washington

4/5  rDev +3.4%

02-23-2013 02:32:01 | More by BillHilly

Hopmodium

Washington

4/5  rDev +3.4%

02-21-2013 03:51:26 | More by Hopmodium

adaham

4/5  rDev +3.4%

02-09-2013 04:15:30 | More by adaham

dirtylou

Washington

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on-tap, Chucks, mason-pint

A lightly hazed orange body - aroma of bitter grapefruit and lots of other citrus. Pine and caramel mingle nicely. A bit big bodied, especially after a bucket of Pho - probably the best Old Schoolhouse brew i've had to date. The hop profile is quite solid.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2013 22:40:41 | More by dirtylou

caseyscarb

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%

01-05-2013 08:03:55 | More by caseyscarb

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

As if three different beers. The first and third a hop forward attack on the palate, with the middle drinking (immediately after some food relief) a wonderful orange and grapefruit citrus combo. Very good orange and grapefruit aromas. Above average mouthfeel. Good drinkability. Light orange with some lasting head. Recent NJ trip.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 01:40:09 | More by northyorksammy

baklo

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%

11-23-2012 13:37:56 | More by baklo

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark, amber/copper colour, with a tan head. Aroma of pine and resins, sweet citrus, tropical fruits, caramel. Good upper medium bitterness, citrus, light tropical fruits, and a good bit of pine. Slick, creamy feel, oily and medium body. Pretty good drinkability given the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 03:56:03 | More by EgadBananas

mjtiernan

New York

4/5  rDev +3.4%

10-10-2012 02:41:37 | More by mjtiernan

adkieffer

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

10-05-2012 22:56:43 | More by adkieffer

jenray

Texas

3/5  rDev -22.5%

08-22-2012 21:34:16 | More by jenray

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.15/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Poured a deep orange with good carbonation and a small white head, light bubbles and lacing

S: Plenty of dry, bitter pine hops and bread with a whiff of smoke

T: Starts out with bittering hops, pine and some light smoke? caramel, bread and dry with some booze

M: The body seems to be a bit chewy, big malt bill, almost to big

O: Average.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2012 21:29:10 | More by barleywinefiend