Atwater Grand Circus IPA - Atwater Block Brewery

DrDoitchbig

Michigan

2.83/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

It was rather difficult to find any information on Grand Circus but from what I gather it's supposed to be Atwater's entry into the trending "Session IPA" field.

Appearance: Grand Circus poured a somewhat pale golden color topped by about a finger's worth of bright white head. The head shrank to a cap quickly but stuck through to the end and left a few curtains of lacing here and there but nothing extraordinary.

Smell: Even though I put this one in a tulip glass the aroma is still weak. The main scent is a cracker like malt base with a dusting of herbaceous hops. This is supposed to be an IPA?

Taste: The malts control the beer and they continue to remind me of crackers. The taste is nearly identical to that of an unsalted soda cracker. The hops are thankfully stronger than in the smell but only just. The floral hops are joined by a nice grapefruit bite on the finish.

Mouthfeel: This is probably the highlight of the beer and that's usually not a good thing. Carbonation is lively but not to the point of pricking the tongue. Body is right down the line medium with a pleasant creaminess.

Overall: This is not an IPA, at least not by my definition. It's also not a bad beer. If Atwater would have simply billed it as a pale ale I probably would have rated it higher in smell and taste. The label doesn't even mention that it's a "Session IPA." For the average consumer coming into this blind looking for something comparable to Two Hearted or Crooked Tree this is going to be a huge disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 22:16:15 | More by DrDoitchbig

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -18%

05-21-2013 00:37:03 | More by bigfnjoe

pecokid

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +43.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I am really surprised with the low “71” rating on this beer. I only had a sample at O’Rielly’s in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania but I was impressed. There is a lot of complex hopiness going on with this beer. I got a nice spicy peppery front end then a solid sweet finish. For only 4 plus / minus ABV it has a good balance. Now, the bartender did say this was this first poor of the day but I can’t believe oxidation from sitting in the lines would have improved this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2013 23:56:44 | More by pecokid

linnymtu

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%

05-12-2013 20:57:44 | More by linnymtu

Mullinger1980

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%

05-11-2013 10:54:17 | More by Mullinger1980

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +31.1%

05-11-2013 03:28:31 | More by Molson2000

drbenderdo

Michigan

3/5  rDev -1.6%

05-08-2013 21:57:10 | More by drbenderdo

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

I am really grateful that I have not had this beer before. At least I'll get a tick out of the deal. (I didn't check to see, but thought it was new to me.)

Thin and watery with a hop influence that shows and disappears rather quickly. Thin is the word that keeps coming to mind. And there is a dirty aftertaste with some odd orange on there. Dirty and thin. That sums it up for this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 22:30:54 | More by RblWthACoz

juicebox

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%

04-23-2013 01:22:23 | More by juicebox

bgoblue2

Illinois

2/5  rDev -34.4%

04-21-2013 03:53:09 | More by bgoblue2

Punqbert

Michigan

2.75/5  rDev -9.8%

04-17-2013 01:29:43 | More by Punqbert

JohnnieNepal

Michigan

3/5  rDev -1.6%

04-17-2013 01:29:27 | More by JohnnieNepal

HardyA

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%

04-16-2013 01:43:48 | More by HardyA

Swik

Indiana

3/5  rDev -1.6%

04-13-2013 21:20:49 | More by Swik

spedprof

West Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -9.8%

04-10-2013 22:04:52 | More by spedprof

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev +14.8%

03-27-2013 01:16:26 | More by t0rin0

mrebeka

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%

03-23-2013 17:41:57 | More by mrebeka

Kerrie

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev +14.8%

03-18-2013 01:36:09 | More by Kerrie

tgavrilos

Illinois

4/5  rDev +31.1%

03-14-2013 20:10:00 | More by tgavrilos

pheelingIt

Tennessee

3/5  rDev -1.6%

03-08-2013 03:31:55 | More by pheelingIt

Bronson125

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +23%

03-04-2013 04:01:33 | More by Bronson125

SaisonRichBiere

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%

03-03-2013 17:28:16 | More by SaisonRichBiere

Hopheadjeffery

Illinois

3/5  rDev -1.6%

03-01-2013 04:45:00 | More by Hopheadjeffery

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a medium gold with a massive, constantly foaming white head that leaves a decent amount of lacing.

S - Rotten banana, lots of caramel malt and a slight amount of lemon zest.

T - Some rotten banana with a bit of creaminess, along with a small amount of malt and lemon zest.

M - Medium bodied with heavy carbonation. Tastes rotten as it sits.

O - Ehhhh, Sessionable? Nah. Worth trying? Nah. It's very average.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 21:47:47 | More by SometimesIfart

Rons35

Michigan

3/5  rDev -1.6%

02-19-2013 23:06:13 | More by Rons35