Evolution IPA - Golden City Brewery

Akiva

Colorado

3.04/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3.25

This IPA looks great when its served, its color really pops and you think that your in for some hop inspired adventures. However it lacks in its floral scent and the hops never really materialize to the level you expect from an IPA. Again, I think this is caused by the good folks at Golden City mainstreaming* this IPA in order to broaden its appeal. It reminded me of New Belgium's Ranger, which from me is not a compliment, but others love it. I'd give it an overall letter grade of C/C-.

* When I say mainstreamed, what I mean is that the beer stays true to its original style, but that it is pulled towards a more homogenized, more suburban, more "blah" elements of that style. Its not experimental, not memorable, just very, very safe. Which isn't bad in and of itself, but if you want to get great scores from people like me, you need to push the limits, not stay within the confines of what you know works.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2013 03:14:31 | More by Akiva

champ103

Texas

4.58/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at Golden City Brewery. Review from notes.

A: Pours a cloudy/hazy orange color. A two finger white head forms with excellent retention and rings of sticky lace.
S: Up front is a nice biscuit malt aroma, light sweetness. Almost immediately a ripe orange, citrus, mango fruit aroma takes over. Just a huge juicy hop aroma.
T: Follows the nose with some light biscuit malts and slight sweetness. Though the huge ripe fruit flavors are the whole show, and are great. One of the closest beers I have come to to fruity juice. Orange, citrus, mango. Mouth watering. Finishes with a perfect dryness.
M/D: A medium to full body. So crisp, clean and refreshing. Perfectly dry as well. So enjoyable to drink. Probably the highlight of my recent Denver trip.

Oh man, this is arguably one of the best IPA's I have had anywhere. I am not a hop head by any means, but the ripe juicy flavors are to die for here. Very highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2012 02:43:47 | More by champ103

Flounder57

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had a pint of this last night at the brewery while talking with workers and employees from the brewery.

Appearance: 1/2 inch head was poured, golden orange yellow color, clarity was good, and there were signs of carbonation.

Smell: Nice citrus and piney aroma. All followed by sweet caramel matls.

Taste: Same as above. The sweet malts balance out the bitterness from the hops really well.

Mouthfeel: smooth, medium bodied, medium carbonation, and a little chewy. Very easy to drink and delicious.

Overall: We loved the whole aspect of the brewery and the beer they offered. Such a great find in Golden just tucked a few blocks away from the Coors brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2011 17:41:58 | More by Flounder57

RJLarse

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Onion in Spokane.

Pours a copper bronze color and clear. Small white head.

Smell is a light citrus and pine scent.

Taste is a nice malted grain flavor with a mild citrus bitterness.

Mouthfeel is crisp and clean.

A nice clean drinkable IPA. Not over the top in any characteristic.

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2011 06:24:55 | More by RJLarse

Domingo

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this at the GCB tasting room on 2/21. Had a sample and decided that I needed a whole pint, and I'm normally not even that big of an IPA fan when there are other options.
Arrives as a copper/burn orange color with a white sheen on top. As I work my way down there are white foam rings that match every sip.
While some IPA's lean in the fruity direction and others tend to be more pungent - this one has small elements of both variants. It's sweet up-front with peachy flavors, but in the middle and back end I pick up a lot of earthy and cannabis-like flavors. There are slight hints of a hearty tomato sauce flavor, but it isn't too strong. To me that flavor is a negative for many IPA's, but it works well here. The finish is dry and slightly bitter with grapefruit and citric character.
Texture is a hair foamy and adds to the visual, but hurts drinkability ever so slightly.
Definitely one of the better everyday IPA's in the state. There's a distinct "small batch" hop feel to it that's unique amongst bottled IPA's.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2011 17:21:33 | More by Domingo

katan

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber into a pint

A - Pours a light golden color. Very clear, filtered. Head formation is fairly light, just a light pearly white film.

S - An interesting combination of citrus, grapefruit, and very floral hops. All backed up by a noticeable malt backbone which is somewhat nutty.

T - Starts off lightly sweet, caramel and crystal malts - nutty, bready, but then immediately bombed by a very strong grapefruit hop. Gets bitter, fairly balanced. Aftertaste carries a strongly nutty finish with some lingering bitterness.

M - Moderate beer body - smooth textured. Carbonation comes through, but doesn't sting the tongue. Finishes with some oily bitterness.

D - Moderate drinkability. For an IPA I find that its hopping does become somewhat tiresome as I go through the bomber. ABV is potent but not unreasonable.

A worthy IPA - surprisingly balanced.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 06:15:25 | More by katan

u2carew

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz. Bomber
A) Pours with a two finger head, tight creamy. Clear body. Upward carbonation. Bronze in color. Lacing is tight and sticky.
S) Evergreen. Orange.
T) A well balanced IPA. Bold hop bite with a pleasant malt sweetness. Grapefruit. Caramel. Toasty. Hints of honey. Black pepper.
M) Fizzy. Smooth. Creamy in the finish. Medium body.
D) Definitely a keeper.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 22:20:41 | More by u2carew

emmasdad

Colorado

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pale amber color; hazy with just a hint of bubbles. Putting my nose into the glass, I was rewarded with a huge blast of lovely, citrusy hops. The hops carried beautifully to the palate, which was very hoppy, which led nicely to a bracingly bitter finish. Overall, this was a great, hoppy IPA. The hops were extremely prevalent, but the beer was exceptionally balanced. I believe I could drink this one all day long.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2009 03:02:35 | More by emmasdad

Beaver13

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle. Pours a clear light amber with a frothy white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is sweet sugary melon and caramel malts with fruity piney hops.

The flavor is sweet caramel malts and some melon with a good amount of piney fruity bitterness to balance it. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, a very pleasant surprise. This is a very tasty and well balanced IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 07:32:19 | More by Beaver13

Oxymoron

Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It's Ev-ah-lou-shawn. Sampled at Golden City the color was a slightly hazy golden orange color. Good head but did hide to the edge of the glass. Not much lacing.

The nose is hoppy but not over the top as the malt backs up nicely. To start the hops have a good blend of citrus and pine. Some minor grassy and grapefruit, but a nice hoppy backing. The malt is sweet with a light biscuit note. Some minor bready and grainy notes as well.

The taste is on par with the nose. A good hop presence with a bit more finishing hops than bittering. Nice citrus notes with pine backing off slightly compared to the nose. More of an herbal finish but great citrus. The malt comes outwitha bready flavor that has a sweetness but balances well. Some minor yeast notes, some bubblegum and yeasty notes, but pretty clean.

The body is moderate with a creamy texture that blends well with the bitterness. Carbonation is light but ok. Some minor astringency from the hops but ok. Overall a very tasty IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2008 20:03:09 | More by Oxymoron

Crosling

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Golden/bronze color with a small ring of foam. Pure and raw hop smell. Quite a bit of pine and spruce, as well as some herbaceousnes and medicinal qualities from the hops in the nose. Flavor is dominated by hop character. Super hoppy in the flavor with a blend of oily and raw hops with pine-like notes. It's got a great hop character to it. I wish it were a little more grapefruit-like and citrusy, with a little more malt character. But as it is right now, its has a really nice authenticity and dryness, with a really impressive hop character. Overall, it's quite good.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2008 00:43:09 | More by Crosling

mentor

Colorado

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First bottling! Thanks to brewerjeff for the bottle. Pours a nearly clear rich golden liquid over a nearly tan head. Quite nice. Smells like PINE TREE. Also, garlic, some pith, and pink grapefruit meat. Mostly, it smells like a fresh christmas tree.

Tastes strong hops with minimal malt. Hop flavor is so strong is almost adds a sour character to the beer. Pine, garlic, grapefruit, lemon, over-ripe mango. Hop bitter is not in line with the intensity of the hop flavor. Which is amazing, because the beer is quite bitter. I would also normally like to see a few esters, but this beer is quite clean. Md thin mouthfeel, as this one must have fermented way down (explains the lightness of the malt contribution). Lingering hop flavor, to say the least. Gentle lingering sting from the carbonation and perhaps some alcohol. Hard to tell much because the hops are so potent. I'm a hop head and this beer is right up my alley. Great drinkability. Needs a bit more underneath, some gentle malt would be okay, but I'd rather some esters. Tough to tinker with those aspects of a beer and still maintain the hop profile.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 20:18:41 | More by mentor

ArrogantB

Colorado

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber with a chimpanzee on the label. An immediate sniff of the bottle returns hoppy, hop, hops! The appearance is a dark orange with a sudsy, soapy head. Aromas of hops, specifically fruity citrus. The taste is remarkably balanced. Based upon the aroma, I was expecting a hop bomb but this has a nice malt profile with a little bitterness at the end.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2008 00:04:06 | More by ArrogantB

BadRockBeer

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Serving Type Sampled: On Draught at Golden City Brewery

Appearance: Dark gold in color, Fluffy white head.

Smell: Very pleasant cutris hops. Strong grapefruit. Carmel.

Taste: Intense hoppy flavor on top of a mildly sweet malt base. I taste caramel, grassy hops and a slight grainy flavor in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium in body, Low carbonation.

Drinkability: Great. This is a good everyday drinking kind of beer. Especially if you are getting it fresh at Golden City and sipping it in the beer garden!

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2007 16:58:44 | More by BadRockBeer

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A hazy, golden/copper pour, topped with a mixed head; small and large bubbles, rounds out to a bit of rockiness.
Smell of citrus and orange peel zest. A hint of bitterness.
Taste is a good balance between the bitters and the flavor of the hops. Grapefruit and orange go with the floral and earthy tones of hops. Not overly bitter, making it very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2007 15:24:18 | More by Mebuzzard

biking4beer

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a Growler obtained at the brewery.

Pours a very slight head that has big bubbles. Beer is a deep orange that is slightly hazy. Looks good minus the lack of head.

Smell is of super crisp pine with a slight hint of orange. Smells very good.

The crisp pine is the first thing that hits the palate. Good hops. Typical bitterness for an IPA. Grapefruit, but not super bitter.

Nice and smooth IPA with a good level of carbonation. A very drinkable beer that I'll be picking up more of when I'm back in Golden.

Serving type: growler

11-28-2006 21:54:15 | More by biking4beer