Epic Armageddon - Epic Brewing Company

Kala1073

Hawaii

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Came across this beer at one of my favorite beer stores. The pour is what you expect from an IPA. It pours a darker golden color with a nice white head. The smell, well the smell reminded me of pakalolo(marijuana)! As I was sharing this beer with a few friends, we all had a smirk on our faces because we were in agreement about the smell:) The taste was a little bitter in the front and then some piney hops followed, and ending in a taste that was simillar to the smell! We enjoyed this beer very much as it was a shot in the dark. I would pick this up again if it wasn't for the price! It is a little steep!

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2010 16:53:52 | More by Kala1073

oberon

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nice to see this New Zealand brewery's wares showing up here in the triad of NC.Poured into an imperial pint glass a dull clear medium golden with just a hint of burnt orange,a nice tight one finger white head that settled slowly into a creamy mass.Great aromas,the cascade and centennial hops provide a nice mix of citrus and pine resin flare,a noticeable sweetish malt base holds thru as well.Flavors are simcoe all the way,quite bitter and resiny with a bit of tangerine-like fruitiness,its sharp as all get out.There is just barely enough caramel malt to keep it from being to bitter.Its a bit sharp but the flavors are just great,this beer shows me that brewers in the craft beer revolution around the globe want to emulate the American left coast style.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2010 21:20:43 | More by oberon

nerdrocker101

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Brilliant, golden orange body with a finger of sudsy head that quickly dissipates to a moderate lacing.

Smells of pine and citrus hops with just a faint sweet malt.

Very citrusy, but to me it's a shade less bitter than grapefruit. Somewhat like an orange rind. Bright hops with a bit of pale malt sweetness.

Light-medium body with moderate carbonation.

I took a chance on this beer and found myself greatly rewarded. A well balanced IPA that may be slightly less bitter than many American versions which is quite alright by me.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2010 13:55:05 | More by nerdrocker101

srandycarter

California

3.88/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Light clear honey, near white head leaves fast. Lots of spotty lace.

S - Grapefruit, juicy, malt as secondary.

T - Lush fruity front, malt in center, bitter at end.

M - Medium body, fair coating, good carb.

D - Very, very drinkable! Just a fun beer to enjoy on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2010 02:23:56 | More by srandycarter

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden yellow colour with a great generous white soapy head. Hoppy aroma, apparently Nelson Sauvignon. Easy mouthfeel, with tastes of orange,tangerine, melon. Very smooth IPA. A tad of acid in the finish, but not a big distraction. By far, best I have had from Autralia or New Zealand. Very drinkable superior IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2010 22:19:29 | More by northyorksammy

avalon07

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a golden yellow color and a clear consistency. There was an inch of foamy, bright white, long-lasting head. Pretty good lacing.

S: A nice smell of hops, citrus, pine and a bit of malt.

T: Tasted of Nelson Sauvin hops (different from American West Coast hops), pine, orange, and malt. A strong character, but never off-putting.

M: A highly carbonated beer with a slick finish. Medium-bodied, slightly heavier than a typical American IPA.

D: Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 13:11:18 | More by avalon07

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was one of the only, if not the only international beer I liked at the SD fest. Went and had this, Sculpin and Del Mar Jetty numerous times.

Good light amber pour, good lacing. Aroma was wonderful, and made me do a double take. . . this isn't a west coast brewery, yet has the big west coast dry hop feel to it. Taste, equally amazing, feels slightly different than the usual Amarillo and Simcoe combo, might have some of those Nelson Sauvin's in there giving it that almost rye like feel to the beer. This beer is definitely the exception to the rule about non-American/west coast ipas.

I hear its real expensive stuff in the bottle, but I drank lots of it at a good price at the fest.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 17:15:13 | More by Beerandraiderfan

augustgarage

California

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a long-neck 500mL bottle into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Efullgent pale amber-tinged gamboge body, clear and capped with a soapy finger of ivory. Rich sudsy lacing and decent retention.

Potent pine and orange zest aromatics with a touch of earth.

Potently bitter palate entry, full of pine followed by a wave of citrus. Faintly soapy malt with an herbaceous element in the long, fairly dry finish. Starts off like a "West Coast IPA" in many ways, but the lingering malt aftertaste suggests an English inspiration...

Medium-light bodied, lightly oily and moderately carbonated.

Maybe not the best value if you live in California, but I would be quite pleased to have this around if I lived in New Zealand.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 01:17:40 | More by augustgarage

mulder1010

Australia

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ML bottle had at Royston Hotel in Melbourne

A-- Poured a light gold brown with small carbonation bubbles. Very clear appearance. Poured a huge two finger off white head that settled down to just under one finger. Very good head retention and layered lacing in the glass.

S-- Very aggressive grapefruit smell, followed by pine and a bit of carmel smell. One of the best smelling IPA's I have had since moving to Australia.

T-- Big pine, grapefruit, orange, tart grapefruit and lemon taste, with just a bit of sweetness to this.

M-- Very tart and a lot of pine menthol feel to this. Just a bit of sweetness to this. Not really oily but more fruit driven. Medium to high carbonation and a good lemon pucker at the end of this.

D-- Maybe the best IPA in the Southern Hemisphere. Well hidden but obvious gimmicky ABV of 6.66. Very drinkable as 1-2 is very good. Pairs well with spicy food quite well and can be done as a nightcap easily. Only real negative is the price of the beer at I paid $18 for it at the Royston. Good purchase though. Can be found for about $13-15 AU though. The Murrays ICON and this are total standouts from this part of the world. Thought the Epic is much closer in bitterness of a US IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 12:50:03 | More by mulder1010

Beerenauslese

California

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours clear gold with a little head that dissipates to a fine ring, leaving some lacing.

Smells of sweet malt and hops.

Tastes of sweet malt and green hops. Finishes dry and bitter, with a bit of a vegetal flavor and some grapefruit and rind.

Body is light and carbonation is fine and tight, giving it a champagne mouthfeel.

This is a nice IPA, very drinkable, and I am liking the malt direction as well as the hops. Getting to 6.66 percent ABV though is a bit geeky gimmicky. Do they make a 7.77%?

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 02:36:37 | More by Beerenauslese

kbnooshay

New York

4.43/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Label art is a nice twist on a traditional label. Big bold colors, (each beer has a different bright color and #). This one is 42.

Poured a nice golden color with a medium sized frothy beige head. Aroma is outstandingly fresh. Hop scent is piney, sweet and fruity. A previous reviewer used the word "tropical", which is perfect to describe whats going on here. Flavor is similar, but the malt support is more apparent. Slightly metallic finish. Feel is super smooth but tingly from the carbonation. This is super drinkable, the bitterness is nice but not out of control.

This is a delight! I'd say its on par with most of the great american IPAs we have over here and it may be the best foreign american style IPA I have had But because of the price I can't do this too often.

10.99 for a pint.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2010 02:11:48 | More by kbnooshay

illidurit

California

3.6/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of Guy411 I think. Pours a clear gold with an orange highlight and a filmy white head. Aroma is bright and tropical, reminiscent of Simcoe or more likely Nelson. Breadiness is a little too prominent, probably due to a bit of age. Slight metallic note as well. Light pale malty flavor up front with a decent amount of mango and piney hops. Bitterness is very solid. A get a slightly vegetal note in the finish as well as a hard water note. Obviously a great beer when fresh, this is closer to just 'good' now.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2010 08:36:34 | More by illidurit

laituegonflable

Australia

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a dusty bronze-orange with decent bubbly head that sinks quickly, hugely fizzy throughout the body, large soft drink carbonation around the edge. Slight haze can't disguise the fact that this looks overcarbonated, like ginger ale. Lacing is good though. Ah, it's pretty good I guess.

Ooh yeah, spank my olfactory, baby! Spank me with those hops, Epic. Smells like an empty jar that once contained hop pellets. Large West Coast characters, don't think it's Cascade but possibly Amarillo, Chinook or even Perle? I'm guessing a bit here though. Hugely floral and piney, spicy with sweet spikes of fruit aroma. Herbal and grassy edge just positively reeks of revolting freshness. Yeah, try and sentiment-analyse this review, computational linguistics coder! I'm being ironic of course, it's a gorgeous smell. Hop-haters beware, you will hate this. I love all the different hop notes coming at me, smells refreshingly bitter. A ripper.

Taste starts with a typical pale malt character, then quickly a hop flavour takes over, piney and fruity at first with notes of fresh bark, slight (ever so slight) cardboard character and some fresh tangerine. Bitterness emerges late-mid, none of that enamel-stripping harshness though, just a pleasant spicy and phenolic bitterness that again has that herbal/grassy edge of fresh hop and other edible vegetation. Lingers 'til the end but finish also has a mellow caramel character that provides some sweetness before the aftertaste is over, leaving just a slight bitterness. An impeccably handled 'big' beer, full of flavour but not a bombardment, it's turbulent and violent but balanced. It's like watching a fight between Chuck Norris and Mr. T unfold in your mouth.

Unsurprisingly, the fault in this beer lies in the texture - the harshness from the bitterness can be forgiven by the balance in the flavour, but the carbonation sizzle just adds to its erratic nature and strips it of any potential smoothness in drinking. It does have a nice body though, it's able to hold up that bitterness.

But ultimately fine-tasting equals fine-drinking and that's what this is. Hate to use the lingo of the interwebs in a review but this is an epic beer from Epic.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2010 05:22:54 | More by laituegonflable

MasterSki

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Picked this up at West Lakeview. Served in a Surly pint glass. No idea about freshness - hope it isn't too old.

A - Pours with a few fingers of eggshell foam that dissipates slowly to a thin cap and a thick chunky ring. Big chunky fingers of lacing. The body is a transparent dark golden color.

S - This is definitely still fairly fresh - guessing it's maybe six weeks old. Tons of pine and dank, some light citrus rind, floral & grassy notes, and some tropical fruits (lychee?). Malt bill is decidedly West Coast in style, adding only some light sugar and toffee flavors.

T - Taste is very tropical fruit-oriented, with the pine and weed flavors pushed to the periphery. The malt character is again sugar cookie. Bitterness is present, but well attenuated.

M - This might be the weakest element of the brew - carbonation is a bit harsh and biting. Otherwise it's quite nice, with a refreshing medium-light body, dry finish, and enamel-coating oily hop resins.

D - I put back a half-litre bottle in about 20 minutes with no problems. Drinks like a bigger brother of Daisy Cutter, with the strong weed, pine, and floral notes. I will gladly purchase this one again, provided I can ascertain freshness. Glad to see another country bringing it on the IPA front.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 22:19:44 | More by MasterSki

femALEist

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

6.66% abv and made with 42 hop cones in every bottle. It poured a clear bright orange with a hint of brown. On the nose I got tons of grapefruit, pineapple and citrus with some resinous pine. It tasted of fresh hops, fresh pine and tons of juicy grapefruit, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. I don't get much malt flavors or sweetness as the bottle says but it's a very very drinkable up to par ipa. Good job Epic!

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2010 04:38:41 | More by femALEist

juju7

Australia

4.47/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lives up to the hype. Fantastic hit of tropical hops on the nose slowly gives way to some caramel malt in the background. Perfectly carbonated. Hop flavours gel very nicely with the malt. Mouth filling bitterness,good weight and an even finish. What more could you ask for?

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2010 08:53:35 | More by juju7

dgilks

Australia

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Moderately clear, gold colour. Big, creamy white head. Okay retention with the head dissipating to a 7mm layer.

Big, prominent hop aroma. I get lots of floral, perfume-like notes. The background has hints of pine and white grapes.

This is great. High hop flavour with the floral notes really coming through. A high hop bitterness is present but not overbearing. Malt flavour is low but the malt profile is sufficient to hold up and balance the hops. Strong lingering bitterness in the dry finish.

Smooth and medium bodied, the carbonation is enough to help deliver the hops without being too high. A bit of hop-derived astringency is present but it may be a case of a little bit being accentuated by the dryness.

A great, hoppy beer with lots going for it. Pity about the price.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 09:01:04 | More by dgilks

jbowers56

Australia

4.43/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very clear gold colour. Moderate white head fades to nice layer. Good stuff. I dont really like clear beers as much in terms of appearance but this one is purdy.

Huge fragrance. As soon as I opened the bottle it pummeled my nostrils. Slightly different hop profile to most US IPA's but still very much in the style. Lightly fruity, grassy, piney. Really fresh.

Taste follows suit. Very nice fruity hops, with some sweet malt to support. Good bitterness. Very very classy example of the beer.

Mouthfeel and drinkability are both good for the style.

Very very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2009 11:24:36 | More by jbowers56

ADZA

Australia

4.55/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a nice light see thru amber colour with beautiful carbonation that leaves a two finger creamy head that looks very dense with only a few craters here and there and lacing everywhere,the aroma is unbeliveable and it has to be to get a 5 with me but i mean the aroma is very strong and very inviting with smells of hard boiled candy,pineapple,strong passionfruit,stonefruits,freshly cut grass and some other nice smell that i quite cant put my nose on but it is definately a nice smelling beer,it has a nice full mouthfeel with the hard boiled candy and pineapple first on the palette followed by a gentle bitterness which i think is nicely smoothed out with the use of the malts that they used and the ABV is very well hidden,i am definately impressed by this beer and just hope my bottleshop has more left as i only bought the one and am now regretting doing that.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2009 11:05:06 | More by ADZA

flexabull

California

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a bright and clear gold color, slightly orange, with a nice large white head.

Resiny, hard candy like, some pineapple, a bit floral and earthy as well. Nice complex nose.

Taste is definitely hop forward. Mineral hoppiness up front, bitter, with a ground up aspirin like bite. Beer then settles into some mild maltiness, creamy, kind of sweet, the malts are there, but are a backdrop. Finish is very crisp, extra dry, and with a bitter grapefruit like hop note.

A little too prickly and over carbonated at first, but it then settles into a pretty nice full feel in the mouth.

This is good, a very nice Kiwi IPA. This one is a little erratic when compared to some others I have tried, but still quite tasty, and goes to show that there are some very nice and interesting beers being brewed in NZ. Cheers Epic, well done!

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2009 05:39:17 | More by flexabull

IHasaFlavaFlav

Australia

4.68/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a generous head, an inch at first that settles to about a centimetre of a off-white, tight bubbled cloud. It seems to have structure it stands up so well. The body is a slightly hazy golden orange.

The smell is a big hop kick, with big pine/resin notes and then subtle fruit and citrus coming through. Amazingly pleasant and clean.

The taste has more of the fruitier hop nots coming through at the start, I taste two fruits, one I can't put my finger on, and then passionfruit behind it. It starts of with fruit flavours, then the bitterness of the hops comes through, cleans out the mouth to leave a fruity after taste.

Mouthfeel, drinks well but leaves the mouth a bit sticky. Not unpleasant.

Drinkability, I would love to drink this constantly and at 6.66% would easily be able to.

Amazing beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2009 10:55:53 | More by IHasaFlavaFlav

brendan13

Australia

4.47/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - An orange hued dark golden colour with a couple of centimetres of fluffy white head that falls fairly quickly.
S - Citrus and slightly grassy pine hops on top of a bready maltiness.
T - An abundance of tropical fruit hops with some and some grassy touches and piney quality coming through at the end balanced by some sweet bready malt character.
M - Lighter side of medium bodied with a medium to high carbonation. A very smooth bitterness.
D - Get it while you can. Easily the best non-American American IPA I've had.

On a side note I drank this while listening to the first few tracks from Jack's Mannequin "Everything In Transit" album. Just like the music this beer is very approachable for those into mainstream looking for something with substance.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2009 12:01:35 | More by brendan13

shandy

Australia

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Golden orange and crystsal clear from a careful pour with a nice firm head of tight bublbles. Very inviting.

Lots and lots of fresh, sweet and juicy fruit hops, stone fruits and citrus, with a balance of biscuity malt and toasty notes. Hints of sulphur. Interestingly, the aroma appears to subside quite quickly.

Perfect carbonation keeps the mouthfeel lively enough but it's oh so smooth. Crbonation is enough to help keep the flavours moving along.

The taste shows off a pretty robust english style malt selection underneath all of the hops and there's enough sweetness to bring balance to the hop load. I personally love this type of malt background in IPA. Too often they are full of crystal malt and much heavier. This has an abundance of flavour but avoids being too heavy. Pleased there are more IPA's in AUS/NZ doing things this way now.

Some almost sulphurus flavour immediately then the hops bite in, though not too aggressively with more gassiness in the flavour. Actually quite a lot of grasinness that begins to ride over the fruitiness in the hops after a few mouthfulls.

The finish is dry and the bittenress lingering but never too harsh. More grassiness on the back palate as the drying continues, stopping short of a mouth puckering.

Glad I have another bottle of this but it falls a little short of where I thought it would be. A tiny bit too much grassy character in the hops. Still great though.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2009 10:45:39 | More by shandy

smithflipper

Australia

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

pours ruby/ amber with rocky dirty head.

Smells, fresh hops, loads of them. Citrus, tropical fruit, then a sweet caramel malt smell comes through.

Taste, Sweet caramel/ treacle gives way to fruity hop character. Passionfruit and lychees. Finishes pleasingly bitter, that lingers just the right amount.

Mouthfeel, full bodied without being syrupy.

Drink - wheres the next one, i want more hoppy goodness

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2009 07:13:27 | More by smithflipper