Gearhead IPA - Laurelwood Public House & Brewery

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

1.9/5  rDev -48.4%
look: 1 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Awesome! My beer club shipment came in - thanks to Jay for the generous Christmas present! First of three bottles. 22 oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

A: From the look of the pour, it might either be a bad bottle - or it might have somehow leaked before arriving here. It pours a hazy golden amber color with a lot of ugly yeast particles in the body, but the head, well simply put, looks like I poured iced tea in a glass. Big bubbles, no real carbonation, and obviously, almost no head. Considering the bottle looked underfilled when it arrived, I'm worried...

S: This features a decent 'typical' IPA aroma. Grapefruit rind, pine, herbs, and some caramel malt. Not bad, but weak given the lack of carbonation.

T: Muted piny hops, some citrus in the midtaste, and neutral malty finish. There's an okay IPA here (not fantastic, but pretty good); it's just the complete lack of carbonation (and I do mean complete lack) renders it just about worthless.

M: Totally flat, period.

O: It's unfair to review it in this state, because it probably leaked on its way over here, allowing the carbonation to die out. Don't know if I'll ever get another chance to review it (considering the rumor that it's out of production), but I'll definitely have to give this a second chance given the circumstances.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 22:39:38 | More by ThisWangsChung

Hopmodium

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%

01-13-2013 23:27:38 | More by Hopmodium

caseyscarb

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

01-05-2013 07:49:48 | More by caseyscarb

adkieffer

Washington

4/5  rDev +8.7%

12-17-2012 23:12:19 | More by adkieffer

baklo

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +8.7%

12-15-2012 22:17:29 | More by baklo

SteeleWright

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

11-28-2012 17:13:16 | More by SteeleWright

DanE

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

11-09-2012 19:58:29 | More by DanE

Skye1024

Indiana

4/5  rDev +8.7%

10-10-2012 00:29:32 | More by Skye1024

smakawhat

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

Pours a cloudy/hazy orange to more brown amber body, with an off white three finger head. Very good retention on this, with some aggressive lacing. Pretty good looking.

Nose is malt brown sugar, and not very hoppy. Mild sense of milk chocolate and a little bit of green herbal tea.

Palate brings a doughy creamy biscuit sense with a little wet body feel. Some light skim milk sensations, toasted light brown sugar, and a faint earthy dry hop quality on the finish. Herbality comes out a bit, with a mild milk astringency quality. Aftertaste brings most of the hop profile, not the mid palate. Very tea like.

Overall not a bad beer, but not crazy about it either.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 22:35:33 | More by smakawhat

Texasfan549

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

10-05-2012 14:21:52 | More by Texasfan549

jellikit

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Auburn. Orange-red. Thin head. Thin, short-lived lace.

Smell: light. Malt is Sweet. Hops are Floral.

Taste: Hops are citric. Malt is medium and body is there. Good balance.

Mouthfeel: Great carbonation. Nice body.

Overall: Good beer. Alcohol, malts and hops are balanced.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 04:43:35 | More by jellikit

beerpadawan

California

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

08-26-2012 23:10:36 | More by beerpadawan

beertunes

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in straight pint glass. Poured an attractive coppery gold color with just a thin cap of white head that had decent retention and lightly moderate lacing.

The aroma had a solid malt base and the expected blast of citrusy hops that typify PNW IPAs. The flavors had the same features, with the big hops showing upfront and on the finish, some pine/floral hops in the middle, and the mildly sweet malt offering both support and counter-balance.

The body was just on the fuller side of typical for the style, and I like that. Drinkability was good, I rarely have more than one IPA in a row and would have a couple of these. Overall, a good, solid, well made example of the style. If you want to know what PNW IPAs are like, you could do worse than using this beer as a guide. Worth trying if you see it

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2012 21:03:37 | More by beertunes

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.13/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Another one of my LetsPour west coast IPA bombers. This one is way too out of balance for my liking, way too heavy on the hops with nothing to back it up. Leaves too much of a cloying sweetness in the mouth and is mouthpuckeringly bitter. Still drinkable (if you love hops like I do) but they really need to work on this one to appeal to the masses and fit in with the large amount of other IPAs available.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 20:10:23 | More by marlinsfan4

BeerOps

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

07-23-2012 23:54:01 | More by BeerOps

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had on-tap at Collins Pub in Seattle.

Pours a golden orange hue with a filmy, white head. Very minimal, patchy lace. It has a decent weight to the body and fine carbonation as a result. A bit generic, but not bad overall.

Nose is a deep, bland citrus with some caramel undertones. There's a touch of lemon custard tart, some husky grain and a hint of deeper earthiness. It's OK, but very similar to any number of other generic IPAs.

Taste is similar to the aroma, in that it doesn't offer anything pronounced or exciting. Citrus rind, pithy, some earthy grain notes and a touch of carbonic acidity. Coupled with all this is a really pronounced and slightly too forward bitterness, giving ashy tobacco on the finish. Very generic, and not all that good. Feel is exceptionally light, even more so than usual for a generic IPA.

Overall, yes, it's an IPA. And it's not bad. But it's exceptionally dull. What's more the bitterness builds to a level that's a touch offensive—or at least, it's a bitterness that's not earned; one without purpose and drive.

Serving type: on-tap

07-18-2012 09:13:28 | More by lacqueredmouse

beagle75

Iowa

2.7/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bomber into a tulip glass.

A: Slightly hazy, light amber color with one finger of white foam head. Light lacing remains on the glass.

S: Plenty of lightly toasted grain, some acetaldehyde, but very little hop presence.

T: Begins barely off-dry, with soft bready malt and weak piney hops. Malt takes on a rye edge during the middle, but hops are still mostly unaccounted for. Nor are they very noticable at the end, since this beer is only mildly bitter. Acidity is mostly restrained throughout.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, wet and fairly smooth on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: A hyper-mediocre IPA, this is a disappointment coming from Laurelwood--the brewer of the the excellent Workhorse IPA. It smells like Ballast Point Sculpin that has set on the shelf too long (yes Southern California, there are places where that happens!), but tastes like an amber blended with a thin tea of Columbus hops.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 17:40:08 | More by beagle75

jmccraney

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

07-01-2012 17:25:50 | More by jmccraney

DeezGunz14

California

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

06-30-2012 17:17:47 | More by DeezGunz14

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up tonight at Brewforia on the way home from work..

Capped it with a LOUD POP!! Startled me and scared the shit out of the cats. Poured into my HotD goblet... huge off white head... great lacing and retention... the brew is very slightly hazed orange.

Nose is pithy citrus hops with some background maltiness... pretty standard, but smells pretty fresh.

Hops have more of a piney presence... but still plenty of citrus... a touch more malt/caramel malt than I normally like, but it is pretty balanced across the board.

Carbonation seems a touch high... body is about right..

Meh.... Okay... I probably won't buy a bottle again, but I certainly would have it on tap the next time I am in PDX.

4/3.5/3.5/3.5/3.5

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 05:20:34 | More by JohnGalt1

Bfarr

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Clear red amber with moderate foamy tan head, great retention and lacing. Citrus aroma and light pine. Balanced with earthy malt and toffee, caramel, and citrus with a moderate linger. Moderate body with a crisp finish.

Good balanced IPA with a good complex malt background. Provides a nice drinking IPA although I think it may have been better off as a pale ale because the malt is definitely more interesting.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 00:00:59 | More by Bfarr

RoryOMoore

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

06-01-2012 01:14:30 | More by RoryOMoore

bumchilly25

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

05-09-2012 03:19:41 | More by bumchilly25

scootpolute

Washington

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

One Pint 6 FL OZs...Poured into a tulip glass.

A: Clear brassy hue…Leaves behind some fluffy rings of lacing.

S: Wheat, caramel, ripe pear, Orange citrus, lemon juice, light florals and grass.

T: Upfront there is pineapple… lemon juice followed by leafy, dried grass, lightly toasted bread, clean caramel notes mid-palate. Finishes with pine and grassy floral…drying finishes…

M: On the fuller side of medium bodied, juicy, crisp and bitter, with a strong wheat aftertaste.

O: An OK American IPA...Acturally suprised since the last two Laurelwood's I've had (Workhorse double IPA and the Hooligan Brown were so good)...Hmmm...this was disapointing :~( Chasin' Cheers :~)

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 22:38:55 | More by scootpolute

blandle12

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%

05-03-2012 05:59:35 | More by blandle12