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

MrHassellYaHurd

Louisiana

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass a nearly crystal-clear light copper with sticky white lacing.

The aromas of grapefruit and piney resins come before those of pepper and sweet malt. There is a slightly cardboardy scent.

Peppery, sharp, piney, sweet malted grain tastes.
Quite pleasant.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2012 02:15:33 | More by MrHassellYaHurd

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a small snifter. Copper in color. Not 2012 penny copper, more like a penny from 1981. Off white head, fluffy, sticky, sudsy lacing. Perfectly named beer, very floral in aroma. Some mango and a touch of alcohol. Touch of caramel sweetness. Taste is quite light, less bitter than expected but nicely balanced. Can't find anything wrong with this beer. Very easy to drink, over and over, not over the top in flavor but very nice experiment.

Serving type: on-tap

09-20-2012 04:06:19 | More by KickbacksSteve

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep color color with a thin layer of creamy rich head that also sticks like glue to the sides of the glass, mild carbonation.

Lots of rose aroma and mildly grainy toasted caramel malt, smells like a flowered up English IPA.

The rose character is not at all overbearing, but has enough character to make it interesting, it shines around midway through before getting lost and then makes a final appearance at the end. Caramel malt hits up front before the rose hips set in and then lays a little low. The beer finishes off with a nice mixture of rose, pine, and grapefruit bitterness and leaves a citrus coating that's slightly orangy. Slight graham crackers and grass also show up at at brief moments.

Light medium body, slight pricklies, and very drinkable.

This beer is a clash between an English and American style IPA with a refreshing twist that goes beyond ordinary. Currently having this on tap but wouldn't buy it in the bottle; nice bitter bite but too much English personality to want more than one. Worth a try, though.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 22:39:27 | More by jzeilinger

stumac

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured up on tap at my job at Black Sheep for freee. Pours a nice golden amber color,the great smells of flowers and minor hops. I taste honey, floral hops, perhaps cascade, nice sweet malts. Tasty. Light bodied, easy drinkin. Nice mediocre carbo. I dig it. I shall have another

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2012 22:50:05 | More by stumac

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Prime 16, served (inexplicably) in a 3/4 pint glass.

A: Clear medium amber body; not much of a head, but what’s there leaves plenty of fine off-white lacing. Not bad at all.

S: Pure, intense, raw hoppiness. Leafy, floral, earthy, vegetal, and generally dank. This genuinely smells like a glass full of hop cones, not beer. Crazy.

T: Opens with huge floral hoppiness, followed by a hint of citrus and some distant bready malts before closing out with dry, slightly astringent bitterness. Not the best finish, but still an extremely tasty hop bomb.

M: Lively, spritzy light-to-medium body. A tad over-carbonated, but not unpleasant.

O: Awesome IPA. I love how single-mindedly hoppy it is – possibly the most purely hoppy aroma I’ve experienced. They should totally can this.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2012 23:54:44 | More by woosterbill

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

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

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

gpogo

California

3.61/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Golden copper body with a large white head that dissipates leaving some lace.

A- Flowery, piney, and citrus hops dominate with a sweet malt. Light spiciness.

T- Sweet and spicy, but somewhat lacking and dry in body in style with west coast IPAs. Bitterness throughout, but a somewhat unpleasant bitter aftertaste.

M- Medium-light body. The carbonation and the light malt dryness is somewhat unpleasant.

D- Pretty good in aroma, but I'm not fond of the west coast malt style of IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 07:43:50 | More by gpogo

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.84/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

"This unique take on the traditional IPA style pairs the bold and intense aromas of whole-cone hop "flowers" with aromatic natural rose hips and petals for complex aromas and unexpected flavors." Beer Camp #53 2012. Available as part of the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Variety Pack 2012 and on tap at particular locations. Brewed in the style of an English India Pale Ale.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a pint glass. Served north of 47º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a light frothy cream white head over a mild hazy copper amber body with plenty of sediment. Retention is good, lacing is light and spotty. Decent appearance overall. 3.75

(Smell) Smells very much like a piney IPA with floral hops forward as well as some mild acidic bitterness. Malt base is a mild, clean light crystal malt and perhaps a touch of spicy rye. Balance is slightly bitter. There's nothing too unordinary about the aroma- everything I can pick up on is something I've discerned before. The aroma is decent although a touch more sweetness and a hair more body could have rounded out the balance. The aroma is enjoyable but not particularly unique. 3.5

(Taste) Mild toasted English-style bready malt body forward paired with a piney, resinous hop blend makes for a finish that is very peppery and slightly spicy with a high bitterness. The hop character largely dominates the flavor, although I could certainly locate some vegetal notes of potential rose hips or petals in this beer, they'd be mostly hidden by the sharp bitterness and flavor of this hops. Despite a prevailing bitterness and spicy hop character, the malty body is actually quite deep in this beer and the balance is nice. Despite being hop-forward, the bitterness grows on you with time and doesn't wear out the palate. It's surprisingly drinkable and considerably enjoyable as well. 4.25

(Mouthfeel) Peppery, bready hop bitter finish. Medium-low carbonation does alright by this beer and is appropriate for being an English style. Some evident pulpiness and perhaps even some sliminess is a bit strange for the style aside from the inclusion of unique additives, is not particularly enjoyable. A good pairing, aside from some odd textures, the carbonation is spot-on. 3.25

(Overall) Another pretty solid Sierra Nevada Beer Camp beer, I liked the resinous, spicy pine hop character in this beer and it managed a substantial pale malt base to pair for a good balance. Some evident pulpy chunks are a questionable additive to the beer, perhaps related in part to the petals or rose hips, but don't settle too well by me. The carbonation was just right for the style and the drinkability, although expectedly muted for a hoppy IPA, was still quite high by hitting all the right notes just the right way. Certainly worth a try for the more abrasive hop-loving crowd. It's one of the more liberally-hopped English IPAs that I have had so far, although the hops grow on you, so the bitterness isn't as intense as you may think it to be. 3.5

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's
Beer Camp #53: Floral IPA
3.84/5.00

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 21:50:34 | More by Jadjunk

wspscott

Kentucky

3.59/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle (been in the fridge since purchases)

A: Hazy light copper color with a very thin white head.
S: Pine and based on the label, what I guess is roses
T: Definite hops but more muted than a "normal" Sierra Nevada PA. A little bit of light caramel. A definite "oddness" that can only be the roses.
M: High level of carbonation, but not unpleasant, very tingly. The hops seems to linger on the tongue making for a creamy mouthfeel that sort of balances out the carbonation.
O: I like the beer, don't love it. The roses seem to add something, but maybe too much something. I wonder if a different hop combo would work better? Worth trying, but I doubt that Sierra Nevada will be making this again. Points for trying something different.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 00:51:10 | More by wspscott

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a hearty amber to brown with lots of sediment suspended throughout the glass. Decent head at pour dissipates to a thin layer on top. Good lacing. Smells hoppy but not too bitter - more floral. Flavor is floral up front - rose maybe - and some earthy spices. Finishes bitter.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 00:25:03 | More by Oakenator

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.71/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle: Poured a clear orangey color ale with a medium size foamy head with good retention and some good retention. Aroma of floral hops with light citrus notes is quite enjoyable. Taste is also dominated by nice floral hops notes with very limited bitterness notes and some subtle citrus notes. Malt backbone is quite discreet with a nice light sweet finish. Body is about average with good carbonation. Nice IPA with limited bitterness and good level of hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 21:03:16 | More by Phyl21ca

Bfarr

Washington

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Light, clear copper with a moderate white foamy head with nice lacing. Sticky fresh floral aroma. Resinous floral taste with light sweetness and linger. High carbonation, lightly foamy and sticky feel.

Big hop flavor and aroma with light hop bittering that grows slightly throughout the bottle. Simple, straightforward hop flavor, it delivers what it advertises but I would almost classify it as a pale ale. This is certainly the non-IPA drinker’s IPA. I would say though that there really isn’t a whole lot of flavor but it has a great fresh aroma.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 22:35:56 | More by Bfarr

heygeebee

Australia

3.7/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From Jim's.

Pours a hazy gold. One finger head dies quickly, but very good lace.

Aromas are of apricots, grapefruits.

Taste is an oddity - is it an EIPA or an AIPA? One of those hybrids where malts are very much in the mix, but with a very lifted nose. ( A la Thornbridge Jaipur). After a while it becomes a Grapefruit experience overall.

Mouthfeel on the heavy side of medium.

Good beer, not great... good to see SN doing this kind of thing, but how many Beer Camp beers will make the grade???

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 07:52:07 | More by heygeebee

Mojo

Alabama

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

12 ounce bottle -> World Market Tulip

This beer pours up a very hazy apricot with a lot of sediment floating around. There is a fairly big fluffy head, decent retention, and lots of sticky lacing. Smell is mostly pine. Taste is a sweet toffee and caramel, and malt upfront followed by a big spicy hoppy finish. Mouthfeel is full with a decent amount of carbonation. Not a bad beer, but there are better IPAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 03:10:43 | More by Mojo

BeerDawgs

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - A light golden hue, with 1 finger of head and some sticky lace. What sticks out here is the huge amount of sediment floating around in the glass. Extremely unfiltered!

S - Nice citrus aroma, like the name. Some nice malt character as well.

T - Very smooth and well balanced between the citrus and bitter hops. Doesn't have a bite, like I enjoy in a good IPA. Needs a more distinct taste. Not bad at all though.

M - Light to medium bodied, with some oily aftertaste

O - A slightly above average IPA. Definitely enjoyable, but not one to pick up again.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 04:11:16 | More by BeerDawgs

plaid75

New York

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

Poured a light copper hue with a two finger frothy white head. There was very good retention and lacing.

The smell featured caramel, light butterscotch and a moderate piney hop.

The taste was herbal and piney with light grainy malts.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style with a strong residual hop spice.

Overall a tasty and spicy hoppy ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 05:06:31 | More by plaid75

dgilks

Australia

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

Hazy golden colour with a small, tight white head. Poor head retention.

Malty and slightly dank. Lacking punch but there is a floral note here.

Malty sweetness. Nice bitterness though there is a slight cohumulone harshness. The floral character is okay but it doesn't sing.

Moderate body and moderate carbonation. Fine.

An okay beer. It lacks punch and finesse in my book but it's not awful.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 07:04:12 | More by dgilks

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Like the tiny yet numerous pieces of sediment hanging out out in all twelve ounces. Sediment ridden copper color looks great beneath the thick film of foam atop this brew. Great lacing too.

Sweet, fruity floral hop aromas with a splash of toasted bread crust.

The upfront bitterness is mostly bitter flora with toasty and biscuity malts slowly rising in the back of the palate. The overall flavor is pretty bitter, floral, nottes of toasted orange peel. The palate is a little resiny. This is pretty hoppy and of course floral tasting. I don't think this should be categorized as a English IPA though.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 17:51:20 | More by scruffwhor

t420o

California

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

SN Beer Camp Floral IPA

A- pour produces a 2 finger off white head with good retention resting on a deep gold body. Some fine sediment floating around. Decent lacing. Looks good. 4

S- the floral hop smell is pretty nice along with some biscuty malt. 3.5

T- very floral and almost too much so with a biscuty malt balance and a bitter finish. Not too much going on here. 3

M- very good mouthfeel. Great medium body, perfect carbonation level. 4

O- it's good, but definitely nothing amazing. I dont think I'd have it again beyond the other 2 in the 12-pack 3.5

Low B

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 22:16:17 | More by t420o

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours deep amber with a large head.
Nose shows floral, hoppy and grapefruit notes along with caramel underneath. Big plain hoppy notes.
Some green, floral hops as flavours too but not particularly interesting. Also some clean malt. Finishes with a slightly metallic bitterness.
Carbonation is a bit full on.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 00:46:29 | More by CrazyDavros

MrKennedy

Australia

3.08/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle, thanks to mulder1010, into a Mikkeller tulip.

Dullish golden orange appearance. Nice white foam on top that hangs around before sitting at a level just above film. On the way down it leaves a bit of wavy lacing.

Smell has a bit of the rose hips early. Then it turns into plenty of grapefruit and this is the smell that really lingers on.

Taste has more of the grapefruit with a bit of a floral twist to it. Does seem to lack a bit of balance and tastes a little astringent.

Can get a bit harsh in an aspirin sort of way. Not what i'm used to from Sierra Nevada. Hampers the drinkability a great deal.

Always fun seeing what comes out with the Beer Camp series. A great initiative. Though this beer is one i wouldn't get too excited about seeing again.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 05:50:13 | More by MrKennedy

Gmann

New York

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy golden color with a brownish hue. The off-white head is small yet dense leaves a small but nice wall of lacing on the glass.

The aroma does not scream of fresh hop but I do have an aged sample. I get more candied tropical fruit notes with some light grapefruit. Not much from the malt.

The flavor is mostly hop. It has kind of a dying grapefruit and apricot hop flavor which actually tastles like a sweetened iced tea. I kind of like it. The malt provides a non-descript yet deep bready flavor.

The feel is moderate and satisfying. Sweet yet balanced with a hoppy bitter finish.

A fresh hop brew past its prime unfortunately. Still some nice flavors but doesn't have that hop pop.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 04:27:10 | More by Gmann

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

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

12oz Bottle from Bear World Watertown NY for 3$

Appearance – Hazy dark copper colour with a large size frothy and fizzy off-white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation and there is some great lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, hops, caramel, grapefruit, herbal/floral notes

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, caramel, and hops. There is also some grapefruit and oranges mixed herbal/floral notes. It has a lingering floral/citrus zest like pungency on the palate. It ends with a sweet fruity aftertaste with lingering floral/citrus zest/hop bitterness.

Overall – An interesting beer that is well worth trying. Doesn't strike me as a English IPA; it has shakes of their pale ale and torpedo but with the added floral/perfume notes. It's a very good beer that I would gladly drink again, rarely does sierna nevada disappoint me.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 01:45:36 | More by spinrsx