Smuttynose Homunculus (Big Beer Series) - Smuttynose Brewing Company

rfbenavi80

Missouri

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 bottle poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours a brilliantly clear golden yellow with 2 fingers or white fizzy head that quickly goes away to a ring at the edge of the glass. (the second pour into the glass is not a s clear as the first)

S- Spicy Belgian yeast up front. Slight earthiness. Lots of fruity hops, mango and papaya come to mind.

T- Follows nose well. Belgian yeast is the a dominate flavor followed by maltiness sweetness with an earthy, fruity hop kick.

M- On the low side of full bodied with a moderately high amount of carbonation.

O- Not a home run of a beer, but good nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 00:23:05 | More by rfbenavi80

chanokokoro

Illinois

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

Poured from a 2012 vintage 22 oz. bottle into a Smuttynose Big Beer Series branded snifter

Pours a hazy gold with deep amber accents. Two and a half finger fluffy bright white head Belgian yeast, spices, some mild funk, and herbal and grassy hops on the nose. Fruit notes, grassy, herbal hops, phenol alcohol, bready yeasty esters, white pepper and spice. Finishes fairly dry with yeasty, mild alcohol and spice. Fairly creamy mouthfeel with lively carbonation, light bodied. A very well done beer that will please anyone who appreciates Belgian-style beers.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 03:51:04 | More by chanokokoro

puboflyons

New Hampshire

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From the 22 oz. bottle marked Bottle conditioned in 2012. Sampled on October 22, 2012.

The pour is a cloudy golden yellow with a whole lot of foamy, milk shake-like head and a whirlwind of carbonation.

The nose is tickled with plenty of Belgian yeast, sweet malts, and a nice dose of citrus with an emphasis on grapefruit esters.

The body is about medium with a kind of astringent acidic character.

The taste compliments the aroma with its citrus zing, light pale malt character, yeasty note, clove, and a semi-lingering finish that in many respects reminds me of a Tripel. Easier to drink than I expected.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 22:02:31 | More by puboflyons

NarrowG8

4.3/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Served in a Allagash tulip -

Wow, I found this very enjoyable.

A - Okay, looks like a typical belgian, nothing special, very hazy w/good head though.

S - smells like a typical belgian as well w/ notes of creaminess & clove

T - one of the best parts is the taste - Crisp, creamy, clove, I think some taste of dates

M - amazingly foamy

O - I would definitely have this again and think it is worth purchasing especially at it's price for a belgian style and thought it was a bit above average and the 9.37 ABV is not noticeable in taste but only within the good vibes, Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 23:36:03 | More by NarrowG8

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 bottle

A: Pours a hazy golden sunrise yellow color with 2 fingers worth of bubbly head

S: Belgian yeast imparts some nice fruitiness, including apple, pear, and other light fruits. Also get a nice breadiness from the malts and some light hops

T: A little bit of a let down from the nose, as the hops take control of the yeast and make it a bit more bitter, earthy, and toned-down than fruity. The yeast and malt characters are still there, but the hops are in the driver's seat, making this one hoppy Belgian golden

M: Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Creamy and smooth

O: I think this should be categorized as a hoppy BSPA rather than a Belgian IPA, but that might be a bit subjective. A good brew no less, but I would like to see the fruitiness shine a bit more and maybe just tone the hops down a bit (but not a lot). That being said, I'm pretty sure this is only the 3rd time Smutty has brewed this, so hats off to them

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 05:37:02 | More by BEERMILER12

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up the 2012 version for 5 bucks (bargain!) at the House of 1,000 beers.

A - Damn nice hazy bright yellow and even though it's only a 1/4 inch of head the very sticky and vibrant.

S - Very hoppy with a nice hit of Belgium yeast and some sugary goodness. Also a tad vegital but hopefully not too much in the taste.

T - Hoppy and fruity with a sour vegital taste that isn't too cloying or skunky. Works pretty well actually.

M - Medium bodied I am actually quite surprised its well over 9%

Overall kind of fruity, kind of vegital (lager like taste), yet 100% hoppy this beer is good and quite unique. Worth trying if paying 5 bucks a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 02:27:16 | More by DrDemento456

vandemonian

Maryland

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

I had the 2012 Smuttynose Homunculus and 2007 The Gnome side by side at churchkey. I considered it an experiment in aging! The score reflects my review of the 2012 version because I liked it better. This was an ok Belgian IPA... honestly I just craved more hops.

A: Cloudy yellow colour and a good head on the 2012 while the 2007 faded fast. The 2012 gets a 4 and the 2007 gets a 3.5.

S: Malty with Belgian yeast; some caramel aroma too. The 2012 has some nice vanilla notes as well as some off vegetable aroma. 4 for both.

T: The 2012 is malty with Belgian yeast and a little bitter lemon rind. A woody sawdust finish. 4
The 2007 is malty with belgian yeast and some sour plum and brown sugar. 4

M: Reasonably foamy. Appropriate for the abv. 4. The 2007 version.... less so.

O: 4

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2012 23:57:17 | More by vandemonian

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from tasting notes.

Poured out a semi-hazy golden-orange color with a two finger white rocky foam head lasting for about four minutes, leaving behind wonderful sheets of lacing on the glass. Higher side of medium carbonation levels and body thickness. Texture can get just a bit oily and sticky in the mouth.

Smells of oranges (both peel and juice), plenty of Belgian yeasty phenolic funk and pineapple, some pears and green apples at medium levels, and smaller amounts of boozey alcohol, pepper, and clove spicing with some faint ghostly banana in the background. The flavor follows suit with the few subtle differences being a higher level of rising alcoholic hotness to the finish and some more floral and earthy tones sprinkled around in the midsip. Kudos for actually presenting a challenging level of Brett funk in conjunction with a strong enough honeyed / pilsner malt and hopping to stand up properly to its' boldness.

This one really seems like a candidate to cellar for a few months to maybe half a year in order to smooth down the rough alcoholic edges. Alas, I only had one bottle which I consumed fresh, as I have never had it before. I will certainly be on the lookout for it again next release for experimental cellaring purposes.
Fresh- 4.5 4 4 3.5
Aged- ? ? ? ?

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 21:18:37 | More by WastingFreetime

fmccormi

New York

4.23/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Straight pour from pry-off 22oz bottle to a cervoise-style Ommegang flute. Only bottle-dating visible is a notch on the side of the label indicating this to be from the 2012 edition of Smuttynose’s Big Beer Series. This came out fairly recently (right around a month ago, at the most) so this is pretty damn fresh.

Appearance (4.0): Pretty aggressive head for a somewhat aggressive pour: four fingers of tight, custard-colored foam that falls slowly, leaving thick, thick legs of lace all around (at first) and a one inch-plus wide nub of foam sitting in the middle. The body is a perfectly hazy, orange-gold. Later on, the lacing consists of just a few scattered suds.

Smell (4.0): Veeeery interesting mix of strong, hay-like, earthy, thick, wheaty yeast character, alongside some strong, grassy hop character with some citrus zest underneath. Smells like a very yeasty BSPA with an extra helping of Old World hops.

Taste (4.5): Following the nose, the malt and yeast core of this beer most closely resemble a very yeasty, wheaty BSPA, with a bigger kick of grassy, slightly herbal hops, but with a much fruitier (peach, apricot, blood orange) punch toward the end. The body is zesty and spicy (white pepper and some light clove), with a chalky-wheaty malt character; the hops maintain a grassy bitterness through the beginning and mid-palate, and finish part-grassy, part-piny, part-pithy. The yeast and hops both contribute, I think, to that very fruity, apricot-peach tone that persists for the whole taste. Finally, there’s a mild but noticeable drying effect from the ABV that lets you know this is not a small beer at all. This is just goddamn lovely.

Mouthfeel (4.0): The carbonation is light and slightly prickly, understated in the finish but providing a nice, lush mid-palate. The body is medium-full and nice and oily, finishing just BARELY on the dry side, but the ABV dries it out enough to invite the next sip.

Overall (4.0): I really, really enjoy this beer. I like these hopped-up BSPA / tripel-ish hybrid beers. Take away the over-hopped-ness of this beer, and the Chouffe inspiration is not hard to see at all (see the yeasty-wheaty BSPA notes above). I was expecting the hops to be more blatantly American-inspired, but what they’ve done here is very pleasing, regardless. More evidence for my theory that the BSPA / tripel-ish Belgian IPAs are the best examples of the style!

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 00:25:28 | More by fmccormi

Chickenhawk9932

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours golden like the sunset with a frothy white head - nice lacing and good retention.

Banana and spicy clove punch in the nose. Citrusy yeast and floral notes in the background.

This beer teeters between a triple and an ipa and what a fun ride. The banana notes and malty bread of a triple are upfront then the palate is hammered by bitter citrus ipa notes and a lively carbonation sting. This blows raging bitch out of the water. A very exciting and tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 00:55:43 | More by Chickenhawk9932

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber split with friends and poured into a couple snifters. The brew appears a hazed golden with a frothy off-white cap. A full wall of webby lace sticks to the glass. A light swirl revives more than a finger of yellowish stained head.

The smell is full of herbal hops, somewhat veggie-like and mixed with some hints of dirty melon. Some citrus and fruit/floral notes
come along for the ride mixing with candied orange candy. A bit of spicy yeast like clove and pepper fill out the rest of the void.

The taste is hebal with hops. A mild candy sweetness is present before mixing with some dirty melon flavor and herbal to grassy biterness. More sips reveal some earthen elements mixed with sulfur.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest level of carbonation. It is lively in the feel but lots of strange yeast aspects clash with the bitternesss that keeps this from being that enjoyable. I dont know what it is about belgian ipas but something always seems to go strange with them.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 17:54:28 | More by stakem

avalon07

South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had an orange color and a cloudy consistency. There was an inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Average lacing.

S: A somewhat underwhelming aroma of hops, yeast, and some light fruit.

T: Tasted of hops (a moderate amount, but more than you might find in a typical Belgian IPA), malt, light fruit, some yeast, and a grassy quality. Not the most interesting of flavors. Also, the grassiness is off-putting.

M: A highly-carbonated beer with a smooth, silky finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is a beer with some good attributes, but is too uneven to really be wholly successful.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 13:06:32 | More by avalon07

lovindahops

New York

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Finally got the chance to get a couple bottles of homunculus. I am a huge smutty fan so I am expecting big things from this brew. Poured into my harpoon tulip

A-homunculus pours a brilliant orange with a hazy appearance. Glowing colors help magnify a superb fluffy white head of foam with massive spider web lacing all over the edges of the glass. Great beginning on this one

S-massive tangerine, Belgian spice, delicious sweet malt, and bubble gum in this. Some herbal components and orange corrieander peel top this off for an enticing scent profile

T- a sting from the massive Belgian flavors is positioning this big time tasty. Mango and tangerine flavors bundle excellently with the Belgian yeast and spices. Very herbal as belgian sugared candy is the best way to describe the flavors. Im impressed with this belgian ipa profile

M- the flavors take over and even prickle you mouth with flavor

O- I absolutely loved smutty's delivery for a Belgian ipa. So much going on with the tropical properties trying to counter the Belgian spiced onslaught. Let me just say this is great fresh!!

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 01:09:21 | More by lovindahops

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours with a solid but quickly dissipating head. Very cloudy with a yellowish brown color, rather unusual. In bright light I see a lot orange. Lots of webby lace on the glass.

This may be the closest I've ever smelled to pure alcohol (like vodka or moonshine). Beyond the alcohol is a small whisper of malt.

The taste is far more balanced. Moderately sweet toasted malt at the start and even in the swallow. Yet, the aftertaste has a healthy contribution of peppery and citrusy hop. The alcohol is almost undetectable. Shocking! Full bodied and highly carbonated make for a great combination.

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2012 19:37:30 | More by smcolw

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a snifter, the beer is a bright, vibrant, opaque copper-gold coloring with a filmy ring around the surface. Aromas of funky fruit and spice typical of Belgian yeast, with pineapple and melon blending with coriander and lemon zest. Smells smooth and tasty. Flavors are smooth and rich, with a slightly sour undertone that uplifts the malty backbone of fruit sweetness. Hops are light, and used as an accent of pepper spice and a slight bitterness to the palate. Very tasty, and the beer has a solid, rich mouthfeel. The aftertaste is rich, with the tropical fruit sweetness becoming more syrupy, with a sutble roasting. Clean, smooth finish with a subtle dryness at the very end. Solid brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 23:34:19 | More by GarthDanielson

JayQue

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I always think I am missing something when I hold a Belgian IPA for a long time. I'm sure I am missing out on hops. This beer is pretty good "as is" whether it was held too long or not. Pours an apricot colored, hazy color with a very small delicate white head that fades fast. No real lacing on my Chimay goblet. Smell is very mild, some fruit (apples and pears) and a hint of alcohol.

Tastes pretty good, especially if you have the patience to let it warm up. Once again pears and apples, a hint of Belgian yeast, a little sweetness, balanced by mild hoppy bitterness.

Mouthfeel is rich and smooth. There is a hint of warming alcohol, but not enough to keep you from gulping it...gotta read the label for that!!!! It is a slow sipper at that high an abv.

Overall a nice slow sipper with enough flavor to satisfy. I may buy one of these fresh and compare it. I'll bet the hops profile makes it more interesting than my year or older bottle that I just reviewed.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 00:48:59 | More by JayQue

ralree

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Slightly cloudy, gold, nice white head, wonderful lacing, decent retention. A very nice looking beer.

S: Extremely fruity/citrusy. Rich hops in there too. Toasted malt with sticky caramelized brown sugar.

T: Extremely intense flavor - hops and alcohol come out in full force to attack, backed up by a really sweet malt (almost cloying) and tangy fruit ends up in the background, but it's still strong compared to most flavors. Very interesting flavor. Toasty flavor is in there, but it's rather hard to detect with the sweetness.

M: Thick, chewy, syrupy - more like a stout than an IPA for sure. Sticks to your mouth, holding the flavors in after swallowing. This is about what I expected.

D: Goes down slow - not one to try to drink quickly for a few reasons: you'd be very drunk very fast, you'd be overpowered by sweetness, and you'd feel extremely full. This one is better for sipping by the fire (or in the hot tub). Not something I would have with most foods (except maybe some cheese and crackers/bread).

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 20:51:16 | More by ralree

McNealc31

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy gold with a fluffy white head, the fruit from the Belgian yeast is very noticeable in the aroma. At first, fruit dominates the flavor as well, with orange, apricot, and banana. Even a bit of bubble gum. Hops flavors come through after the fruit with a peppery jolt, leading to a dry and somewhat bitter finish. The aftertaste is similar to butterscotch candy. Some heat comes from the 9.9% ABV, but not overpowering.

Very tasty. If they keep this is a yearly, seasonal release beer, I can see it get very popular

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 23:08:28 | More by McNealc31

ghostwalker

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Golden body with a light frothy finger of white head.

Nose has the Belgian funk and a light clean graininess.

Flavor is big alcohol on a clean malt backbone. Euro-hops are on the finish in moderate quantity.

Warming, stripping, slick.

Overall is pretty good. It drinks dangerously easy for such a big beer. Clean malt and crisp hops make it almost quaffable.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 23:16:14 | More by ghostwalker

Beejay

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: A pale apricot color, crystal clear with plenty of white head on top. The head starts to collapse into itself and form a rocky moonscape as it sits.

S: Very sweet at first. Some light spice notes, as well as a honey character. Clove and some fruit notes, peaches, apricot, and perhaps a little orange peel. Definitely some bready character, and perhaps a little tropical fruit in the finish as well as a hint of booze.

T: Nice belgian character rounded out with herbal hops bitterness. Sweet and bready, Some raison notes, as well as clove. The fruit flavors are more diminished than the smell would lead you to believe. The bitterness comes out in the finish with some herbal notes. The finish has a bit of booze in it.

M: I think it feels a little thicker than it really is. Carbonation is about medium, lacking the typical Belgian carbonation may perhaps be why it feels a little thicker.

O: Overall I like the malt and Belgian character, but the hops seem to fight it a little. The mouthfeel seems a touch of. All and all I like it, but I think it could be smoothed out a bit.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 02:26:57 | More by Beejay

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from growler into a Mikkeller oversized wine glass. Poured a hazy red-orange with a one finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, banana, apple, spices, floral, floral hop, earth, and earthy hop. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, fruit, spices, earth, earthy hop, sweet alcohol, citrus, and citrus hop. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. The aroma on this was very complex and had a lot going on. Unfortunately it might have had a little too much going on with not a lot of balance. The flavor however wasn’t as complex, but still had a pretty good bit going on. I just didn’t flow very well and the alcohol presence really took a lot of the enjoyment out of it for me. This could be a great brew if it were a little more balanced. Worth trying if you get the chance, but that’s about it.

Serving type: growler

04-10-2012 20:27:48 | More by thagr81us

SickGnar

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Rich, dense, almost dark golden. Not really hazy, but less than clear. Just a few tight bubbles rising to a small white head with a cappuccino froth look. Alright retention and some decent lace. Second pour from the bomber does get a bit of true haze.

S: Floral, estery, somewhat restrained fruit. Soft apples & pears, some light tropical fruit hints, and a bit of citrus from the hops. Hops are also spicy and a bit herbal. Spice is tied ta bit to the whiff of alcohol. Light hint of phenolics. Really nice background doughy malts with fair to big sweetness. Spicy alcohol increases & gets more of a bite as it warms.

T: Starts off sweet, doughy, floral, & fruity. Sweetness is a mixture of honey, candi-sugar, & sugar cookies. Just a hint of light crystal. Very rich doughy aromatic malt – sweet bread dough with great depth. Floral & fruity esters struggle a bit to emerge from all the sweetness. When they do the effect is thick mountain laurels in bloom and juicy ripe apple. As sweetness diminishes in the middle the yeast and hop notes really come out to play. Mild phenols, lots of -spice – both softer “pie” spices & sharper pepper-like stuff. Spices & alcohol give a bit of mild heat. The pepper leans a bit to white, and along with a yeasty, earthy, musty note it gives a bit of funk. Bitterness is firm, but not overpowering – and it lingers long in the finish. Hops are mostly herbal with some citrus & spice, and then resin in the end. Alcohol is clearly present but never gets out of line.

M: Medium plus body with CO2 a touch under-matched but adequate. Most of texture seems to be from tannins with just a few sugars and dextrins. Soft & smooth at the start. Then you can feel the alcohol thinning it out. Alcohol & hops take it firmly drying in a refined manner. Alcohol warming as expected. Feels potent.

D: Way more a BGS than a BIPA. Mislabeled on the BA I’d say. This one walks a line between pleasant & aggressive. Starts off with sweetness, fruity & floral, warm & rich doughy aromatic & sweet malts – kittens and rainbows and everything nice. Then in comes the bitterness, earthy/yeasty/funk, herbal/resiny/spicy/peppery/phenolic high octane mix. Careful - this one will quietly & calmly kick your ass. It is one fairly pleasant and very potent beast.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 00:54:12 | More by SickGnar

Luigi

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an light orange and hazy. Large foamy white head with plenty of lacing around the glass. Head retention is good as a blanket of foam stays with the ale till the end.

The aroma can be judged in two ways: is this really a Belgium IPA? The bottle just says golden ale. This would imply a Belgium strong golden ale, like Duval. So I think I will judge it based of the aroma matched the description. The aroma is full of sweet fruit. White grapes and orange. Hops are more citrus than pine like. The yeast brings a distinctive Belgium character to the ale. Alcohol, certainly brings sweetness to the nose. Maybe should have been toned down a bit.

The flavor is full of sweet and sour fruit notes. Not a very bitter hop, because the booze is not masked as well as I would like. Full of citrus and almost white wine flavors. Again the booze taste just is not hidden as well.

Medium bodied with a semi-dry finish. Something you would want to take your time one because of Alc. %.

Overall, I do not know what to think of this Ale. The Belgium characteristics are all there. Just tone down the sweetness a little bit.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 04:04:27 | More by Luigi

drabmuh

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a tulip. Beer is orange, mildly hazy, thick off white head, off white, lots of lacing, moderate to high carbonation.

Aroma is sweet, yeasty, a little grassy, cascade / noble hop aroma. A little estery.

Beer is a little solventy, strong sweet and little bitter. The yeast is winning in this beer. I drank the 22 ounces but it was a little dry, not bitter enough and the hops were a little grassy. It is an OK Belgian IPA but not a repeat for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 15:54:57 | More by drabmuh

clayrock81

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy golden orange w/ minimal everlasting head and lace patches. Strong spicy and citric hop aroma, as well just a good aroma of orange. Getting some solid wheat/yeast as well as touches of sugar and funk. Light bodied but fuller mouthfeel from the yeast...yes, there is an orange citric vibe but I get a real crisp, hoppy beer that has a sour/funky tropical edge. I'm alos getting a spicy, bready beer that somehow maintains this light body and fruit taste (along with candi sugar and caramel sweetness) yet has a somewhat "hot" finish - the ABV kicks in out of nowhere and just packs an almost medicinal, boozy finish at the last second. This is a great beer, I love the mix of hops and citric twang against this sturdy sweet malt base and then quite frankly a high ABV that can get you in trouble. Not as complex as a Belgain triple but doesn't mean it's a great beer (and as a sidenote: here in VA it's $6 - a similiar beer - Allagash Hugh Malone which was stacked right next to it is $14 - in this economy a $6 bomber that can deliver the goods is mighty nice).

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 23:00:08 | More by clayrock81