Ace Of Spades - Hopworks Urban Brewery

snaotheus

Washington

4/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a large snifter shaped glass

Pours brownish amber, pretty clear, very little head, but looks like a lot of small, slow, fine carbonation going on in there. Smell is honeysuckle sweet with a lot of piney hops, some orange blossom floral. Smells good, but a little muted (maybe not the beer's fault -- I'm a little congested).

Taste is very bitter, lots of grapefruit rind flavor, overpowers most everything else. There's some of the floral and honeysuckle sweetness in there somewhere. Opens up a little as you get into and it warms up a bit.

Mouthfeel is quite dry. Overall, a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 00:15:49 | More by snaotheus

HuskyinPDX

Washington

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

Taken from notes on 3.11.11

22oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

I love the hidden skull on the playing card.

A - Pours a slightly reddish-orange with a thick 2-finger creamy head.

S - Smells of piney hops and grass.

T - Pine up front with a nice citrusy finish and after taste.

D - Nice bitterness and ver creamy and smooth.

O - Loved it!

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 20:56:09 | More by HuskyinPDX

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Golden bronze with a white head, ring of retention, nice lace.

S: Lemon, citrus rind, tangerine and pine, cotton candy fruity esters and a little sponge toffee.

T: Lemon rind, tangerine, sponge toffee, pine, solid bitterness, candied pineapple.

M:Moderate body has a light residual sweetness, some hop acidity and a slightly drying alcohol finish.

D/O: Easy drinker for a DIPA of this strength, nice balance, well-crafted.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 00:36:32 | More by Derek

slicknuss

Washington

4.85/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I love this beer. This is one of my favorite DIPA's. The beer goes down very smooth, but you get a strong hop flavor as well. It is like melding the best of both worlds. An easy to drink, hop heavy beer. Whenever bombers of this beer come in to my local beer store, I am down there buying it ASAP. I just prefer to drink this beer whenever I can. This is everything a west coast DIPA should be.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2011 23:23:02 | More by slicknuss

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a slightly cloudy gold-amber with a finger of sticky, pale yellow head.

Smell. Caramel and toasty grains, sweet grapefruit, honey and some tangerine.

Taste. Pine sap, bitter pink grapefruit rind, orange zest, floral grassy hops. Alcohol there, but not too offensive.

Mouthfeel. Close to a full body with smooth, medium-light carbonation. A little syrupy and a little warm.

Overall. A decent sipping beer. Good hop punch and bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2011 01:16:26 | More by Rutager

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

When asking Craig at 99 Bottles which of the local IPA/DPA’s I had to pick up he quickly mentioned this as one of the choices. I really am glad he did. Shared this with a buddy last night and really enjoyed it.

Soapy off white head builds aggressively as you pour the beer. Very bright and clear brass/amber color with just a touch of carbonation escaping to the surface. Tons of soapy lacing clings to the glass.

Aroma was fantastic and bursting with juicy resinous hops. There was a freshness that was terrific and a melding of some bright citrus scents with some green grassy notes and a moment of floral pine.

Pretty complex flavor profile. All about the hops, but just below the surface there were some neat malty things happening. I was getting some almond at times, which I still can’t explain to myself. But it was very nice. There was a sense of the elevated abv, but in no way was this “hot?

A sticky, juicy mouth feel. Bright and fresh.

H.U.B. always does a great job and this beer is no exception. Excellent DPA

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 14:03:01 | More by Reagan1984

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber, black and white poker imagery. I feel like I've been in a casino indeed, after having shelled out close to 15 bones for this bottle alone.

This beer pours a clear, medium golden amber hue, with one finger of dense, foamy, rocky ecru head, which settles in a slow, even pace, rendering a jagged island profile of lace around the glass in its wake. It smells of grapefruit and orange peel, juicy tropical fruit, pine resin, and muted sweet caramel malt. The taste is more sweet caramel malt, bitter domestic and exotic fruity citrus, a musty, dirty earthiness, and some edgy warming alcohol. The carbonation is on the low side, the body medium-heavy in weight, smooth and sugary. It finishes still malty sweet, joined by a fair complement of earthy citrus bitterness and rising alcohol heat.

A decent DIPA, lots of the usual you know what, and whatzit, and all that, with a certain, well, green character. The organics, maybe? Sure, but how would this carnivore really know?

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 02:29:31 | More by biboergosum

stakem

Pennsylvania

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

Bomber into a pint glass, thanks to psiweaver for the opportunity to try this generous extra via a recent trade. No freshness dating to be found and it appears to be filtered/no sediment in the bottle.

This brew appears a clear copper orange color with a finger of yellowish head. Lots of bubbles rise to the surface in support of the head which lasts with fairly decent retention. As the cap fades, it leaves a ring of lacing that droops forming a leggy pattern about the glass.

The aroma of this brew is quite fruity with hops. A little bit of a floral component mixed with some fusel alcohol and some citrus rind and herbal notes. Some caramel malt sweetness continues to accent and build up the fruity sweetness of this brew's scent as it warms. A light amount of grassy notes are evident across the back mixed with orange zest.

The taste is modestly bitter with some herbal hoppiness. A sharp spicy hop bite is present which mixes with the fusel alcohol before becoming mildly sweet across the back from a bit of residual sugars from what seems to be caramel malt. The aftertaste is grassy with hops, somewhat herbal and catty. At times it gets a little clingy with oils but it brings out some fruity rind flavors like orange and grapefruit. The alcohol is fusel in flavor across the back which exaggerates the bitterness of the hops.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. Fairly decent representation of the style and well balanced across the board. A noticeable amount of maltiness provides some hints of sweetness that get crushed by the hoppy oils and bitterness. The 9% alcohol is felt throughout and not that hidden but it is enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 23:59:48 | More by stakem

seeswo

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a reddish-golden light brown. Nose is tropical hops, malt sweetness and a bit of booziness. Another malt forward DIPA, this one uses the malt sweetness to balance against the juicy, grapefruit hops. Not as much of a tropical hop bomb as some beers, but the balance works pretty well. Again, my preference is for the malt to be in balance or trailing the hop flavor in a DIPA. This is a solid contributor to the spacious 2nd tier of good, but not elite DIPAs. This one just narrowly misses a really nice balance - demanding a bit more hop flavor to really excel. The mouthfeel is nice - a good head, good carbonation and some hop stickiness hangs out on the tongue, but isn't excessive. Overall, I could really see this beer potentially being fantastic when super fresh, but that is not what is in front of me. I can only assume that this is fresh enough, but with some additional hop flavor, it could really excel.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 04:07:31 | More by seeswo

gford217

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to hopburster for this 22oz bottle.

Pours deep, clear amber with a creamy egg-shell head that recedes quickly to a soapy cap leaving only bits of lacing on the sides.

Lots of citrus in the nose with grapefruit and pineapple, takes on a sweet juicy character. There is a light malt sweetness in there but it takes a backseat to the juicy hops.

Pithy, bitter grapefruit right up front on the tongue with a hefty alcohol burn that lingers through the finish as well. There is enough malty sweetness to keep things balanced but the bitterness of the oily hops is what I'll remember in the taste.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and really stick with hop juice. Soft carbonation and a spicy alcohol coating on the palate.

For those of you who like their DIPAs pithy with grapefruit and don't mind some alcohol presence, this is a really nice beer. Since I put myself in that category, I have to say I enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 03:04:37 | More by gford217

loren01

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear reddish/orange color, nice head with great lacing
S: Malty, dark fruit, citrus scents
T: Dark fruitiness up front with citrusy hops, lots of booziness at the end.
M: Medium bodied beer, good amount of carbonation
D: This is an interesting beer, not what I expected. Seems like this is more of an American style barleywine. This would make a great winter sipping beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 03:15:18 | More by loren01

oberon

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Drinkin this beer in celebration of JV's no hitter!Poured into an imperial pint glass a lighter shade of bronze with a thinner white head atop,big hop oils in the nose,very green citrcic qualities,piney and pithy it exudes hops.Its not a hop onslaught but more of a melding of hop flavors,citric and pithy mixed with some booze and overripe tropical fruit.Although the booze is noticable its still quaffable and not to sweet,a top notch beer of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 23:17:28 | More by oberon

benpopper

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Stolzle Beer Glass a great bright amber with an inch of off white head that fades fast leaving behind only the faintest signs of lacing.

Smelled fantastic and Strong! There are a lot of differnt fruity smells in there but the one I got most of seemed to be grapefruit esk. made me want to swim in it.

Taste is very similar, but very surprised and happy to to get a whole lot of alcohol. Sweet malt taste surrounded by fruity hops.

Feels pretty good in your mouth. Drinks easily with a little heat on the tail end. Bitter finishing, but not so much you don't want to go right back in.

This drinks great. Much closer to a very hoppy IPA than the double I'd say. Wanted more of it, but there were different bottles to be drank!

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 20:43:57 | More by benpopper

hopluva1

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz. bottle bought from the brewery, served in a snifter.
Deep hazy orange in the glass with a 1/2 finger off white head that fades quickly. Man, this is a hop bomb! The aroma is huge citrus hops, grapefruit, maybe a little peach. This beer really showcases traditional west coast hops well. It has good clean hop bitterness with just enough malt sweetness to make this really drinkable. It is easy to keep adding hops to a beer and call it a IIPA. This was constructed with a finished product in mind, well done.

I am going to let one bottle sit for a couple of months to sweeten up a little more.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 16:14:29 | More by hopluva1

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle generously shared by El Douchous, or as we call him around here, Duane.

Pours a slightly cloudy medium orange with slight retention and some stick.

Smells of caramelized apples

Tastes much the same with a lingering bitter rind finish along with smack of blood orange. Malts serve as a healthy support system by propping up the firm fruits.

Carbonation on the low end with a medium bodies feel makes this drink a bit syrupy

Overall, a pretty good double

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 01:05:53 | More by BarrytheBear

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

650ml bottle poured into tulip april18 2011

A clear deep amber with a couple random bubbles popping up from random places, just a short lived film for a head though and no lace left behind

S big citric hops with some guava, a little toffee and some booze

T lots of rind and a little more booze then I could smell, caramels come out a little more and there's some pine I couldn't smell, pretty nice tasting DIPA

M full bodied for the color and there's more carbonation then what was visible in the glass, slightly sticky on the lips with a big bitter bite and a aftertaste that lingers for a long time

O no real issues with this brew, quite the hop bomb going on here the booze could be better concealed but the heats not unpleasant just noticeable

looks can be deceiving, doesn't look that great but I don't taste with my eyes, pretty expensive here in Alberta at 14$ for a bomber but that being said I'm not upset I bought one

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 05:26:24 | More by wordemupg

UMNbeerhunter

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured in to an HotD tulip on 4/13/11.

Pours a beautiful golden amber with two fingers of frothy off white head that dissipates quickly leaving almost no lacing. Not very much head retention in this beer but it looks very nice post pour before the head disappears.

Smells of carmel malts and then the hops hit you. Tons of hop notes to pick out for my underdeveloped nose... Citrus grapefruit and others. This really made my mouth water.

Taste is a lot of the same. I get the sweet malt taste that comes through very well but then a nice mix of fruity hops. Still has some booze flavor but very delicious.

Mouth feel is a medium weight. It goes through the palette smooth with some alcohol burn on the backside. Some resin that leaves a little of hops bite left over.

Drinkability on this one is high. Takes a little hit because of the alcohol burn but the juicy hops and malt balance is great. Well balanced and hey! Its organic and certified carbon neutral according to the bottle which I can dig. Good beer I will definitely be asking for this one from my Portland trading partners.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2011 00:06:03 | More by UMNbeerhunter

ottovon

Arizona

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: a clean copper color with an off white head.

S: citrus hops at first. then you get some nice melon flavors, some peach, orange peel, and some nice piney aromas. just a really nice and clean hop aroma.

T: just like the aroma. citrus, peach, piney, and some caramel. it is dry and bitter.

M: has a good medium-thin mouthfeel with good carb for the style.

O: this is a solid offering, that I wish i could get more.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2011 05:10:20 | More by ottovon

OakedCanuck

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into cervoise.

A - Pours a clear, deep amber. Very little head formation, almost none. Minor lacing remained. I would have liked to see a nice rocky head, but no big deal.

S - The whole gamut of hoppy bitterness smell here. Mostly tropical fruit, grapefruit, tangerine, papaya, lemon. Pine and juniper as well.

T - Hop bomb here. Lots of flavour exactly like the nose. All kinds of juicy citric hops. Grapefruit, orange and some grassy graininess to it. I picked up very minor, almost non-existant, malts.

M - Slight heat at back of mouth due to high ABV, sticky, very drying.

O - This is an awesome IIPA, a true hop lovers beer. It would have been nice to have a touch more maltiness, but really not a big deal as this beer is all about the hops. Delicious.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 14:34:40 | More by OakedCanuck

grittybrews

Washington

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a rich sunset amber into a tulip with a finger of quick-receding off-white head. Juicy aroma of grapefruit, orange, and pine with just the slightest hint of boozy warmth.

Moderate carbonation and a thick, syrupy, resinous mouthfeel. Lots of grapefruit and orange citrus up front followed by just the right amount of sweet caramel malt that lingers for quite a while before the pine bitterness shows up towards the finish.

A little sweet but with plenty of hops to balance and just enough alcohol warmth to keep things interesting. Really a treat.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 04:04:42 | More by grittybrews

kitty66

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Tastes like a souped-up hopworks ipa. Great hop tang, very piney and oily. Kind of a straight-shooter, would be more interesting with bigger malt body.

Overall a good choice for the cooler days of spring in the rainy northwest, sweet but not syrupy, a kiss of caramel to soften the booze.

Nice artwork on the bottles, might become popular with rock bands.

Rock on ace !

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2011 23:44:36 | More by kitty66

Kakaraht

British Columbia (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a crisp amber with a finger of light tan head than has good retention.

S: Wow, super malty with raisins and caramel, The hops have a very floral and bitter like aroma.

T: Almost like a barleywine, the delicious malt body has sweet brown sugar and caramel flavor, and the bitter citrus like flavor of the hops balances it out perfectly. The alcohol and a nice warm burn to the beer as it warms.

M: Heavy body, medium carbonation and a warm round character.

D: A little expensive at $25 dollars a bottle, but ohh so tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 01:38:00 | More by Kakaraht

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

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

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #41 (Jun 2010):

Hop-hazed pale amber, it's not lacking head retention, that's for sure. Ruby red grapefruit and blood orange rind from the hops; alcohol shows some fruit and malt shows caramel, making for an awesome aroma. What you smell is what you taste, but add in a heavy hand of bitterness. Tobacco and leather. A scraping bitterness that's fresh and pungent. Alcohol warms and lends a tropical fruit flavor. Bitter end with some trace maltiness. This beer is brewed to style and pulls no punches. Superb.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 02:53:24 | More by BeerAdvocate

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

4.7/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Vibrant cloudy coppery-orange with a dense white head. Sweet, citrus fruit smell with some sugary malts. Very pleasant and aromatic, almost floral. Grapefruit, orange, brown sugar and raisins in the taste. A really good blend of sweet and acidic, almost like a fruit cocktail. Very smooth with no hint of alcohol even though it is 9.5%. Drinkability is limited only by ABV and bottle size.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 05:19:20 | More by BDTyre

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.15/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pristine persimmon with a lovely roseate glow from the rising sun behind the pint glass. An eye pleasing crown of toasted almond colored foam sits atop the beer and looks like it will hang around for quite some time. A thick collar of finely stippled lace is starting to stick as well.

The nose is a hophead's dream come true. The brewers did an outstanding job choosing the little green cones: Amarillo, Cascade and Centennial. Only the addition of Simcoe could have improved things. Thankfully, it doesn't smell like malt will add much on the flavor front.

Ace of Spades India Pale Ale is damn good beer, but it isn't as good as Hopworks's IPA, which is called, oddly enough, Hopworks IPA. This beer isn't hop flavor forward enough and the alcohol isn't completely buried. Both of those are why I prefer American IPAs to DIPAs in all but a few special cases.

The malts aren't 100% pale, but have a toasted-caramel malty contribution that doesn't impinge on the hops too much. There's an impressive amount of juicy orange (Amarillo) and almost as much white grapefruit (Centennial). This big brew still tastes impressively green and the hop resins are building in cumulative fashion on the tongue. No reason to doubt the 100+ IBUs at the time of release.

The mouthfeel is big beer beautiful. It was impressive right out of the gate and is firming up and smoothing out as mid-bomber approaches. Slightly sparkly bubbles add just the right amount of energy without crossing the line.

The name Ace of Spades seems more suited to a roasted malty Imperial stout than an American DIPA. Nevertheless, this is enjoyable beer that, in a perfect world, would be available down at the corner store. Deal me in.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 13:23:17 | More by BuckeyeNation