Smuttynose IPA "Finest Kind" - Smuttynose Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Incredible grapefruit aroma. Beautiful hopped appearance. Creamy smoothy orange pineapple grapefruit but also harsh and bitter pungency underlying it rather than a malt counterbalance.Much better balance
had it on tap 5 years later and it held up. Hi IBU still. Revised rating.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2004 03:56:56 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.72/5  rDev +14%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Murky, orange-tinged, peachy amber with plenty of yeasties/hop particles going for a swim. The head is large in size, rich cream in color, looks impressively sticky and will no doubt be a lace monster. The cap is refusing to fall lower than a one finger mesa of rich, creamy foam and leaves chunks of lace all over the inside of the pint glass. This is absolutely gorgeous beer.

The aroma is gloriously hopfruity: candied pineapple, passionfruit, mango and pink grapefruit especially. Goodgawdalmighty, this smells wonderful! The flavor is equally stupendous. Smutty IPA is one of the juiciest, tropical fruitiest IPAs that I've ever tasted. Because I love at least two of the hop varieties that make up the hop bill (Simcoe, Santiam, Amarillo), I love this beer!

If some people shy away from intensely hoppy beer because of the bitterness, then they haven't had a well-crafted IPA such as this one. It's intensely, pungently hoppy, but isn't bitter in the least. I could drink this stuff by the case-load. The body is medium-full for the style and the mouthfeel is impressively creamy with very little noticeable carbonation.

Simply superb. It's as if the brewers at Smuttynose took a reading directly from my brain regarding 'BuckeyeNation's IPA wish list' and then proceeded to brew a perfect match. I've had a lot of amazing beer in a very short period of time and this IPA is one of the best of the best. Highly recommended (in case you hadn't already figured that out).

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2004 22:20:30 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Smuttynose IPA



So here it is that I get my hands on my second brew from Smuttynose. I actually go down a notch from the the double IPA to the IPA, but IPA is more my style anyway. I like when things are sessionable. Now saying that, nothing makes me happier then when I have a good sessionable IPA and some good Italian. Now as my mother-in-law is bringing over lasagna for dinner tonight, it has got to be about the right time to tear in, so let us see where this one goes….

A – Poured a nice hazy amber with a goodsize two inch plus head on the top, decent retention as it stayed around for a good couple minutes. Lots of side glass lace and a good amount of carbonation streaming throughout the glass.

S – Lots of bitter citrus hops. Tones of grapefruit and tangerine dominated the brew. Not much room for anything else in there. A bit of sugar, ornage peel, but thats about it total, hop bomb, more so then the double IPA actually.

T – Very bitter, had a huge hoppy bitter bite right out of the gate, good dry finish. Lots of resiney grapefruit tones throughout, a touch of sugar trying to balance out the hops, but it was not really going anywhere. Huge hops, huge bitter, BIG IPA.

M – Delicate and smooth, a subtle crispness to it, but mostly just a good solid drinking IPA. Nice dry finish wrapped it up well. Good carbonation.

D – Great, very good session beer. It was a litter bitter and alot of hops, but if thats your thing its a total session brew. I could have put down two or three of the these with ease.

Overall, a fantastic IPA. I am really diggin the smuttynose brews now that I have had two in one night, pretty damn good I must say. I will definatly be on the lookout for some more. This was definatly an IPA of the finest kind!

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2007 00:54:59 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Atwood's

A: The beer pours a golden amber color with a finger of white head and a bit of lacing.

S: A nice citrus hop aroma to this beer with plenty of grapefruit scents and a nice pine quality to it. Quite perfumey with heavy floral hop notes to it as well. A bit of sweet malt and bread.

T: Rather heavy on the pine flavor and bitterness, which is nice. A good amount of grapefruit flesh and peel, which also adds a bit of bitterness, but also a nice bite. Some sweet pale malt flavor breaks up the intense hoppiness.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O: I was pleasantly surprised by this. As long as you can get this one fresh, it's a pretty solid IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 23:44:25 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

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

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a dark-ish golden color with a single-finger white head and a bit of lacing. The nose brings some grassy, floral, and citrus hops. The flavor is unfortunately short a bit on these flavors, but does bring a good amount of bitterness without letting too much malt get in the way. Good body with nice carbonation. This is one of the better Smuttynose beers that I've had.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2010 00:13:09 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours out a bright cloudy* peach color with a fluffy, creamy white head.

*(Per chance, I caught the sediment warning on the label and managed to keep most of the yeast beasts in the bottle.)

Smell: I keep getting inviting grapefruit and pine scents. Some soft malt notes, but it's mostly Hop City!

Taste: Opens with a lively sweetened citrus burst, followed by a delightfully grapefruit flavor, which yields to balancing flavors of grains and a pale malt mellowness. All before finishing dry, with a fresh floral bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Juicy and remarkably crisp.

Drinkability: In regards to hop lovers, I think that if anything... this beer succeeded in spades.

That's how I'll put it. Give it a try if you're fortunate enough to be within Smuttynose's distributional reach.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2006 04:37:34 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Arrives at the bar with a cloudy light amber color; displays nice head retention and lays down sheets of lace

Smell: Grapefruit and pine

Taste: Bready base is quickly joined by grapefruit juice and pushes forward to a lengthy, bitter finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with gentle carbonation

Drinkability: NIce balanced IPA that drinks superbly on cask

Serving type: cask

03-17-2007 20:18:00 | More by brentk56

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

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

Bottle courtesy of Mr_Kimchee: Poured a hazy light amber color ale with a medium slightly off-white foamy head. Aroma of citrus hops is well balance with caramel malt. Taste of caramel malt is well mixed with some citrus hops. Body is above average and low filtration level makes this even more enjoyable. Another solid beer in this fine brewery line-up.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2006 17:28:07 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.26/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Smuttynose's flagship IPA shows the classic character of the style, but doesn't relegate its balance to assertive malt presence, but rather adds complexities from soft esters and alcohol complexes instead.

Their "Finest Kind" pours lightly golden and with the signature dry-hopped haze and sediment for more hoppy goodness. It builds a stark- white head that nearly billows to the rim of the glass- showing off its elevated carbonation. As the froth settles into blanketed coat, it laces the glass with decorative random patterns. Its simply a very appetizing IPA, even to the eye.

Hop-heavy on the nose with bold citrus fruits of grapefruit, orange zest, lemons, pineapples, and tropical medley; the beer's perfumy and floral upstart is supported by light caramel malts that provide a juicy, vine-ripened sweetness to the citrus and tropical notes but never try to rival the hop aromas.

And the beer's hop-centric taste is consistent from its aromatics: citrus, tropical fruits, and fresh-cut grass on the early and middle palate leaves behind an ultra resiny pine bitterness to finish. Fruity esters give a sweet alcohol note of rose and spice. Interestingly, these flavors amplifies the sweetness as it seems to smooth out its bitter bite. Again, caramel malts provide firm underpinnings for the hop display but they never get in the way. The beer is simply an exhibition of American hops.

Crisp, clean, and playfully malty up front, the caramelly grains give way soon after the initial taste, allowing the hop character of bitterness, dryness, and bite to carry the beer deep into the finish and aftertaste. It's a true thirst-quencher.

Finest Kind is a quintessential IPA with a complex hop mix, crisp and understated hops, and noticeable esters and alcohols. Consistent and through from nose to finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 05:11:32 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

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

This came in my Easter gift basket from my mother-in-law today and it was a definant treat,pours a nice golden color with some orange tint with light but pretty sticky head.Nice balanced aroma I picked up a big hoppy grassy aroma right off the bat but a real nice lingering biscuity aroma came thru as the beer settled.An IPA with a malt backbone what a concept!A big zesty herbal flavor hit right away but settles nicely with a slightly sweet malt attack in the finish.One of the better IPA's I have had in quite some time.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2004 01:27:36 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

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

Perhaps it has to do with being from New Hampshire, and perhaps not, but Smuttynose seems to have a way of making beers that don't really stand out at first, but are actually there waiting, ready and willing, for you at all times. They kind of hang in the shadows until you actually pull one out of the corner... then... you notice them!

The IPA is a great example of that. It doesn't hit you on the head with hop aroma, but by-golly if you don't experience some very nice Cascades just opening up the bottle. And then there's the appearance. The head retention isn't superb (it IS very good), nor is the clarity, but what you get seems so say "real" to me. Or maybe I should say "honest". They have integrity. They're just delivering a decent, solid, drinkable beer. And I love that!

The flavor is the same way. It's an IPA so there's a rock solid - but not brash - bitterness to it (well, it is the granite state... remember the old man in the mountain?); and citrusy (grapefruit, even a drop of pineapple), grassy, and piney hops seem to be smeared EVERYWHERE; and the malt base is clean and straightforward with just a "basic", down to earth graininess.

Overall, it's a very, very nice take on the style. It delivers the malt, hops and bitterness while remaining very drinkable. I could go for a few of these.... but watch out, the 6.6% will hit you!

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2006 16:27:04 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hazy golden, near-unto-peachy hue in appearance, with an impressive showing of white foam in the head.
Aroma, fresh, piney, citric, pineapple, very nice...just right, hops are abundant, but rather mellow, actually, not too razzle dazzle, soft , yet sure. After more sniffs, I admire the nearly nakedness of the hops, the pure oiliness...very beautiful, indeed! Mmmmm!
Taste:nice texture, roundly rings the mouth, but, alas, doesn't maintain it's ground too well, I'm afraid.
Let's give another try...delicious, I've gotta say, freshly fruity, with a hoppy quality that sweetly swims in the mouth, but unfortunately, doesn't stay
too long at play on the palate. I'll try it again...yum, bright, sweet, hoppy, tasty, then all fades and is nearly forgotten.
Consider that before cracking this bottle, I've had freshly tapped Bell's Two Hearted Ale, plus a bottle of Tyranena Bitter Woman, and a pint or 2 from a ƒresh growler of Town Hall Masala Mama, well, if you blended them all, and divided them up...this would fall in the middle. No, it's pretty close to Two Hearted, but the malt backup remains shallow. Hops and sweet fruit remain high, but the balance is very delicate.
I like it, though, I'd drink it by the bucket-ful. Very tasty, though it lacks in any kind of hoppy sting, as well as malty blanket that I feel are necessary for a top-rank IPA...one guy's opinion!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2004 07:16:13 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a golden color with a thick frothy white head. The aroma is good. It has nice malty scent covered with an intense citrous hop aroma. It smells just like a fresh grapefruit. The taste is great. It has a solid malt base; mostly pale and light crystal malts. It also has an enormous hop flavor that is quite citrousy and bitter on the aftertaste. It goes down easy and refreshes on the finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a damn good IPA. It has tremendous flavor and awesome aroma; a good sessions beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2004 03:15:05 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.48/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've had this beer in the bottle and now on tap. I remember really liking it in the bottle but on draft, I did not like it. I will re-review this beer once I have it in the bottle again (under a different review).

Served on draft. Beer is clear and orange. Thin white head leaves behind a lot of lacing, carbonation moderate.

Aroma smells like dried oranges. This is not the aroma I remember and it is not making me want to drink this beer.

Smooth, medium body, not detecting a lot of hops here unfortunately, again I'm not sure what's going on, this is not how I remember this beer being. Finishes with an odd bitterness, dark bitterness. Mouthfeel is good, drinkability is fine.

Serving type: on-tap

11-24-2009 20:20:05 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to RBlaszak for sending this beer as an extra.

The beer pours a golden orange color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the florally hops with some citrus mixed in. There is also a little bit of bready malt in the aroma.

The flavor is heavy on the grapefruit, apricot and floral hops. There is a low to medium amount of bitterness which is complimented nicely by the malt backbone. The citrus notes are fairly juicy and make the beer very easy to drink.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 03:11:46 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is clear deep yellow in color but has lots of particles floating in suspension. There’s a light amount of visible carbonation, which makes the particles somewhat resemble a lava lamp as they rise up from the center of the glass and fall down the edges. It poured with a finger high off white head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin head covering the surface and lots of rings of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: The smell has aromas of floral hops along with notes of citrus and pine resin along with hints of caramel.
T: The taste has flavors of floral and pine resin hops and is accompanied by a moderate amount of bitterness from start to finish. Hints of caramel malts are also present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is some dryness in the finish.
O: I found this to be an easy drinking IPA that is packed with hops but isn’t overly bitter. The floral hops are an interesting change of pace compared to all of the grapefruit hops currently available on the market. The alcohol is well hidden from the taste.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 04:06:24 | More by metter98

MasterSki

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Reagan1984 for sending some fresh bottles of this my way - this one is best before June 2009. Served in my trusty Surly pint glass.

A - Three fingers of eggshell white foam, with great retention and lacing. Cloudy gold-yellow color with a few bubbles rising to the top. Excellent looking IPA.

S - Lemon zest, fresh-cut grass, and pine hoppiness. More earthy than tropical. There's a spicy bite to the hops that reminds me a little of Saaz. Mild malt backbone to the smell.

T - Much sweeter than it smells, with a relatively mild amount of hop bitterness at the back of the palate and in the aftertaste. There's also a bit more toffee maltiness than the smell implies. Still very floral and earthy, but less of the citrus flavors.

M - Good viscosity, lots of oily hop resin. Moderate carbonation. Smooth and refreshing - not sure what else I really want from an IPA.

D - Highly sessionable. It's not overly bitter, or boozy, carbonated. While the taste is unspectacular it's also very pleasant.

Very solid offering from Smuttynose!

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2009 03:51:27 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled July, Sampled October 2005
Pours a hazy copper color and it topped by a frothy two finger thick pale tan head. The aroma is certainly hoppy with an initial sharp herbal note that succumbs to a candied orange peel scent. The aroma is a good mix of floral nectar like qualities and a solid citrusy note. The palate of this beer is fairly light; makes for easy drinking. It is full flavored though with a solid hop contribution throughout. The beer starts out with a tingling hop note that tickles the tongue in combination with the carbonation. It finishes with a solid bitter hop bite that just begs for you to take another sip. In the middle is a mix of flavors running from orange peel, lemon, grapefruit, a certain spicy basil quality, and pine needles. The hops create a really sharp, yet clean biting bitterness that runs from beginning to end; really quite nice.

This is one of those easy quaffing beers that you wish came in a 22oz bottle, 12oz just does not seem like enough. There is nothing out of this world about this beer, but it seems like a solid go to beer that I would happy to drink a lot of if I did not live in AZ.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2005 22:53:48 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a cloudy, pale gold with a thin, white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The robust smell contains hops, sweet citrus and caramelized malts.

T: The taste is very well-balanced between the hops bitterness and the citrus malt sweetness. The two flavors counteract each other so evenly that there’s no after-taste and you simply crave the next sip. Once the beer warms a bit, it leaves a pleasantly bitter hops after-taste.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, clean & dry finish.

D: It’s tasty, not-too-filing, and it’s the kind if beer that you can just keep on drinking. Smuttynose Brewing Co. continues to impress me. I think this is an excellent beer and a great representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2006 04:10:49 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This IPA pours out as a golden color with a decent head on it. The smell has a good amount of hops on the nose. The taste of hops and some hearty malts on the tongue. The mouthfeel was pretty good too. Overall this IPA isn't my favorite but worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 21:01:12 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.8/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cheers to jwc215 for this! Thanks Joe

Pours a hazed honey with 3+ fingers of rocky pearl white head. Very good lacing & head retention

S: Citric hops, especially grapefruit & not much else

T: Leafy & grapefruitty hops, some biscuitty malt up front. Leafy hops, pears & apricots as this warms. Finishes with leafy & grapefruitty hops, plus some fruittyness

MF: Medium bodied, with good balance & nice carbonation, but enough to help the hops.

Nice session IPA IMO, but the hop combination would grow old after a a pint or three

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2008 04:35:19 | More by russpowell

emerge077

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

BBD: 3/3/12

Murky orange yellow with a ton of suspended sediment. Creamy white foam settles to the top, forming drippy concentric rings of lacing in the glass. Retention is good, but appearance is marred by the pondwater chunks.

Aroma is herbal with dried vegetation, grassy sweet and floral.

Flavor has a slight pale malt sweetness at first, quickly segueing in dominant bitter hops, enamel stripping alpha acids and bitter herbaceousness. A light biscuity breadiness flashes by in the middle, with a deeply resiny and bitter aftertaste. Medium bodied with medium carb levels, easy to drink. Definitely an amped up bitterness to this, one for the hopheads out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 00:38:03 | More by emerge077

Gavage

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy orange in color with a huge fluffy 2"+ head. Thick lacing developed on the glass during the session. The aroma is tempting as strong floral and citrus components are easily identifiable. The flavor is a hop lovers dream, as a strong bitterness is well balanced with the sweet malt. Citrus tones are all over this one, and then more hops arrive. This is truly a hopfest.

The mouthfeel is mildly crisp with a biting finish where the bitterness seems to be glued to your tongue. Medium bodied, perfect carbonation. Nicely drinkable if you are a hophead, but beware if you are not...

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2004 01:07:25 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured orangish-golden with a well-retained head.
The smell was citrusy - grapefruit, orange, lemon - robust and inviting smell.
This is a great example of the style. It tastes of grapefruit, and yet well-balanced with a touch of rounding sweetness.
If you are an IPA lover, I highly recommend this brew. It's smooth and citrusy.
A real winner from Smuttynose! Very drinkable!

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2006 04:13:37 | More by jwc215

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a 12 oz bottle of Finest Kind IPA served in a Troegenator seidel. The beer is cool.

Appearance: The beer is a light orange color that seems a little out of place (closer to a DIPA). There is a nice ring of lace all around the glass.

Smell: There are not a lot of aromas emerging from the glass. What does emerge paints the picture of a citrusy ale that has a strong hop profile.

Taste: The strong hops in the taste make up for the lack of smell. The hops are citrusy and bitter enough to take control of the beer. There is a low-key malt presence that provides just enough balance.

Mouthfeel: The bitterness is refreshing on the palate.

Drinkability: The beer is limited a bit by the hops, they could easily overpower the tastebuds. Despite that, the ale is solid.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2006 01:49:11 | More by akorsak