Floral IPA - Beer Camp #53 (Best Of Beer Camp) - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Maxwell

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a murky golden-transitioning-into-brown with a nice big fluffy white head that stick around and leaves gobs of sticky lacing patching up the sides of the glass like milk foam in a latte. The body of the beer is very murky and pretty much opaque, only allowing enough light through to establish its “muddy water” color. The beer smells nicely hoppy with a solid malt body to it. The hops are reminiscent of grapefruit, mango, and citrus with slight pine notes, while the malt is light and caramelly. The real oddity of this smell is of course the vegetal spice that comes (presumably) from the rose hips and petals that were added to the brew, and they add a great little kick that borders on onion but never really passes into that zone, giving the beer a nice savory tinge. The beer tastes solidly like an English IPA, with some slight slipping towards an American Pale Ale. The flavors are rich with bitter grapefruit, though the bitter stands out more than the fruit, and the rose characters play subtly but interestingly with the tongue, giving hints of vegetal and lavender flavors, alongside other different herbal notes that I cannot place. The malt body of the beer tastes bready and sweet, but like a good APA or IPA, that malt is side seat to the hops. The beer begins as light citrus, moving through grapefruit into the savory middle flavoring coming from the herbal rose petals and the light malt, before the beer finishes with a bitter grapefruit with only bits and pieces of the herbal rose petals periodically touching the tongue. Mouthfeel is clean, medium bodied bordering on thin, and slightly effervescent, leaving the tongue slightly dry and the mouth very bitter. Overall, I’m not really sure to say about this beer. It is a nice bitter sipper that feels more like a hop-forward APA to me than an English IPA. It does have the good bitter resonance of an IPA, but the bitterness and flavoring remind me more of an APA. This is a very drinkable brew, and would be lovely to knock back in the late summer, and the rose petals do work in weird ways to provide herbal notes throughout the taste, but really it was not that enticing to me. A cool experiment with some nice tastes, but I probably won’t revisit this beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 01:40:23 | More by Maxwell

jbarletto

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-18-2013 15:00:21 | More by jbarletto

megamass

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

05-18-2013 05:49:39 | More by megamass

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.8/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A 12oz bottle with no visible BB date. Purchased a little while back from Trembling Madness in York. Presumably a brewing competition entry; the label describes it as an IPA infused with rose hips and petals.

Poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle conditioned. A cloudy sunset-amber hue with visible sediment and medium carbonation. Yields a large head of frothy white foam that lasts for a while before reducing to a surface layer. Nice lacing. Aroma of fruity hops with hints of grapefruit, citrus and pine. This is underpinned by sweet caramel malt, earthy yeast and mild herbal notes. Pretty good, though not much in the way of roses.

Tastes of caramel malt with a hoppy character and a bitter finish. Notes of grapefruit, pine resin, subtle orange peel, citrus, mild herbs, earthy yeast and stewed hops. Dry, with a faint malty sweetness. A strident, leafy bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and possesses a herbal dryness. Decent body and carbonation. Rather astringent, with an aftertaste of bitter aromatic hops, stewed herbs and faint caramel.

A decent brew, even if it doesn't quite live up to its name. Bit too much fluffy sediment in the bottle. Nice hoppy aroma and flavour, with nondescript hints of herbs/herbal bitterness coming through. Body is OK. Can't say that the rose petals are discernible, but maybe I held on to it for too long. However, it's perfectly drinkable on its own terms. Worth sampling.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 22:19:51 | More by jazzyjeff13

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -12.9%

05-12-2013 17:15:24 | More by mikeburd1128

schopenhauerale

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

05-12-2013 09:33:25 | More by schopenhauerale

Iamstryker

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

05-12-2013 03:25:26 | More by Iamstryker

cadaugherty

Illinois

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-09-2013 00:07:38 | More by cadaugherty

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

04-30-2013 19:49:18 | More by blknikon

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

04-29-2013 00:27:39 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

04-27-2013 16:33:07 | More by Jason1337

July2Nov

Hawaii

4/5  rDev +7.2%

04-22-2013 02:21:04 | More by July2Nov

chefduff2

New York

2.5/5  rDev -33%

04-21-2013 16:23:14 | More by chefduff2

civicm87

New York

3/5  rDev -19.6%

04-17-2013 00:42:37 | More by civicm87

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.76/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours a hazy orange to amber in color with moderate amounts of visible carbonation and peach + orange highlights. The beer has a two finger tall creamy beige head that slowly reduces to a medium sized medium thick patch, a thin film covering the remainder of the surface of the beer, and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of herbal hops with a light amount of floral hops.

T: Upfront there is a light amount of grainy malts with moderate to strong flavors of herbal hops with some lighter amounts of floral hops including rose hip and lavender. Light to moderate amounts of lingering bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Crisp with a light amount of stickiness.

O: I found this beer to be enjoyable and I like the floral notes only I wish they were a little more pronounced and perhaps with a slight hint of sweetness. Easy to drink and definitely one I would have again.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 23:58:19 | More by dbrauneis

adamwn

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +20.6%

04-14-2013 22:50:04 | More by adamwn

randylangford

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.2%

04-09-2013 00:23:20 | More by randylangford

Resuin

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

04-07-2013 11:23:20 | More by Resuin

Cresant

Kentucky

3.41/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured the 12 oz. into a Samuel Adams glass. 2012 Beer Camp release. (from notes) The body was bright apricot with a slight haze. The head left sheets of thin lacing.

The smell was organic and leafy. Floral. Nice.

The taste was interesting, unique. Bright bitterness and a creaminess. floral with minor maltiness.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied with a fine carbonation. This was my favorite from the Beer Camp release from 2012.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 15:39:26 | More by Cresant

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

03-31-2013 01:49:23 | More by t0rin0

DMc8ride

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

03-28-2013 22:09:54 | More by DMc8ride

rand

California

3/5  rDev -19.6%

03-26-2013 05:30:37 | More by rand

iemailjack

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

03-23-2013 02:03:31 | More by iemailjack

Chucker17

South Dakota

3.25/5  rDev -12.9%

03-19-2013 18:18:21 | More by Chucker17

Segelstrom

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

03-16-2013 21:52:02 | More by Segelstrom