Flower Child IPA - Cambridge Brewing Company

Cmack15

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: light copper color

Aroma: strong citrusy/piney smell. hop heads delight

Taste: the hops just take over and linger after the finish.

Mouthfeel: medium to light body nice carbonation

this beer is super awesome. Really well done. So refreshing to an east coast brewery do a west coast style ipa. this beer reminded me of heady topper and ranks up there in my book.
Cheers

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2011 23:25:18 | More by Cmack15

arizcards

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Visited CBC yesterday with Da Boss. Had a teardrop pint for $5.50.

Beer poured golden orange with an OK white head.

Nose was fresh hops - very nice.

Taste was classic west coast IPA; hop forward with citrus and piney hops.

Mouthfeel was refreshing, good carbonation with a medium body.

Overall a very solid IPA - this was the definition of a fresh IPA at it's finest. This is a seasonal beer so give it a shot if you are in the MIT area of Boston!

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2011 21:29:37 | More by arizcards

axeman9182

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at CBC for the ACBF post-fest brunch 6/5. It was served in a large teardrop shaped glass.

Flower Child pours a mildly hazy tangerine. There's a thin bone colored head sitting atop the beer that leaves just a little bit of lacing behind. The nose is all hops, a pungent grapefruit aroma that also displays some other fruity notes in the background. There's a nice touch of caramel sweetness up front to add a bit of balance. The mid palate hop bite that comes through is absolutely perfectly dialed in, potent and attention grabbing without being as aggressive as one might find in an imperial version of the style. A fairly typical, if well executed, pacific northwest hop character (as suggested by the nose) closes things out. The body is impressively light for the style, which helps the beer feel more like an easy drinking brew. The carbonation though is just a little bit too muted for what I like to see in an IPA. Flower Child drinks like a fresh, well done recreation of Ithaca's classic Flower Power IPA, which means it's a great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 14:50:56 | More by axeman9182

SABERG

Massachusetts

4.14/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottled "fresh off the truck" in Western Mass.

A - Deep golden hue, great head with long lacing for the duration of the pour.

S - Pine and citrus balanced well with no hint of the "core" hops. Lots of interesting blend here.

T - Initial dyrness lets go to a fine medium body that finishes with some oily, resin component. Well constructructed balanced IPA.

M - Fabolous balance, hint of sharp bitter, then oils, then malty smoothness. Across the palate smooth moutfeel and a nice lingering finish.

Will and company have a real treat in this offering.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 22:26:42 | More by SABERG

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured in the CBC Beergarden during the 24th Anniversary.

No head from this cask-condition pour. There are some fine intermittent bubbles on the surface. Some these do stick to the glass briefly. Cloudy. Dark gold color.

Strong grapefruit citrus aroma.

Served around 50 degrees (10 Celsius), this a hop bomb. Bitter and peppery. The alcohol is notable, but in the background. Low carbonation naturally. Full bodied as well. Long bitter orange rind aftertaste.

Serving type: cask

05-04-2013 17:12:42 | More by smcolw

Damian

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Drank on-tap at Lord Hobo, Cambridge, MA
Served in a pint glass

The beer poured a slightly hazed, straw yellow and was topped by a thin, creamy, off-white crown. The head quickly faded to a clingy ring of froth. Sticky blocks of lacing coated the top quarter of the glass.

The nose was fantastically fragrant. As the name implies, the hops were quite flowery. Semi-sweet and exotic. Citrus notes were apparent. Some tropical fruits. A touch of honey was noticeable as well.

On the front end, the flavor profile was quite similar to the nose. Orange notes came through strong. Some tropical fruit sweetness. As the beer moved along the palate, the flavor profile turned substantially more bitter. Super pithy and dry notes of grapefruit rind dominated the back end and the finish. Pine needles were noticeable as well.

The mouthfeel was thin for the style, yet surprisingly creamy and slick. The liquid contained a fine, moderate effervescence.

Cambridge Brewing Company's Flower Child IPA is a good but not great beer. Maybe it just happens to be the name, but this reminds me a lot of a second rate version of Ithaca's Flower Power IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2012 03:54:19 | More by Damian

elNopalero

Texas

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Looks good, smells great. Clear, golden colored. Floral and piney aromas dominate. Tastes very piney, more so than the smell would lead one to believe, balanced by a touch of honey on the palate. More pine on the finish. A little bit of chewiness keeps it dynamic.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2011 21:09:35 | More by elNopalero

MattAtAmeriCraft

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured on draught at the CBC.
Pours a foamy head that dissipates at an average rate. Leaves minimal lacing on the glass after a few sips.
The color is a deep orange, an earlier review called it a tangerine color and I would have to say that it is an apt description of the color.
I feel as though the nose of this beer is fairly deceiving. I got a lot more malt in the nose than the taste of the beer contains. Subtle citrus hop aroma is present, but only after a few sips and searching.
This beer tastes good. Plain and simple. Nice and balanced, the six types of hops shine through in the front with a delicate maltiness coming through in the finish. Solid grapefruit notes with some piney attributes. Nice stuff.
The mouth feel is a fairly medium body, definitely some substance to it especially for a 6.3% abv.

All and all a pleasing summery IPA. This was my first foray into CBC and I was happy with my experience. I didn't have food otherwise I'd rate the place as a whole. I live in Boston and often when I venture across the river I feel as though I'm transported to San Francisco or some West Coast beer haven. This experience at CBC made the journey worth it and this beer was definitely something I'd share with friends.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2011 16:49:12 | More by MattAtAmeriCraft

SuperStory

Rhode Island

3.73/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Hazy copper/apricot in appearance

S: Very faint aromas of pine and grapefruit

T: More vibrant, citrus hop flavor than expected with such a faint aroma. Strong grapefruit tanginess throughout. Very easy to drink on a summer day!

Overall a great seasonal offering from CBC! I would like to see this one year round!

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2011 16:04:41 | More by SuperStory

gcarl

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Burnt gold in color. Quick fading head that leaves nice but faint lacing on the glass. Hop forward, tart, dry. Built off the Flower Power IPA out of Ithaca Brewing, Flower Child mimics it parent well. Truly a hop bomb but lacks the malt base that makes me want more than one in a sitting. If you are looking for more of the west coast style than most east coast IPA offer. This one is for you.

GC

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2010 01:25:25 | More by gcarl