Alpha IPA - Block 15 Brewery & Restaurant

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Hop and Vine release the other day.

The beer pours a peachy gold color with good head retention and lacing. This beer really has a great nose, as I pick up dry citrus, tropical fruit, tangeine and pine. The flavor profile replicates the nose, though it's not quite as intense and exotic. The beer has good bitterness otherwise, though there's also a bit of heat/bite from the alcohol in the finish that I'm not entirely in love with. Otherwise, this is a pretty dry IPA (definitely not made in the so called East Coast style), and the finish is long and bitter, albeit with some noticeable alcohol at the end. Mouthfeel is medium bodied otherwise, with a good level of carbonation.

A very solid IPA, though I think a bit more malt sweetness would benefit this beer, and help to balance out the considerable bitterness.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2013 15:51:54 | More by johnmichaelsen

bbb099

California

4.23/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Slightly cloudy orange golden color with a light tan-colored head.

S - Grassy herbal hops with some citrus on the nose.

T - Citrus and floral hops with no detectable amount of alcohol considering its alcohol content. Finishes with some grapefruit flavors.

M - Medium bodied and average amount of carbonation.

O - Overall a solid and drinkable IPA. Went really well with the burger and fries I had at the brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2012 03:13:41 | More by bbb099

dgilks

Australia

4.08/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear golden colour with a creamy, white head. Good head retention and great lacing.

Rich grapefruit and pine aroma. A touch herbal. Very appealing. No malt.

Sharp, crisp American hops with a big dose of bitterness. Good, unsweetened grapefruit.

Medium body with moderately-high carbonation. A touch less body would be better.

A firm, hop forward West Coast IPA. Lots of bitter hop flavour with the malt nicely laid back.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2011 19:59:09 | More by dgilks

Sharpie30

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I make down to Corvallis about every other month for some funtion or another and Block 15 is always on my list of places to stop. They always have at least three differnt beers from my last visit, pretty fine rotation. Anyways, their Alpha IPA is my go-to beer when visiting. A fine IPA, pours a golden hued, slightly hazy pint with a nice white head that lingers for 1/2 the pint. Block 15 has really nailed the aroma on this brew, you can smell the hops within two feet of the brew, nice piney, citrusy hop party. Flavor is hop forward with a strong, but not overly strong bittering finish. The malt backbone is there, supporting the hops without being in the way. I can't really want anything more out of this IPA, yes I'll have another.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2009 17:42:45 | More by Sharpie30

GreenWBush

Oregon

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I told the owner I thought this was better than Total Domination. The brewer looked up from his beer with an interested look on his face. I got called out for Ninkasi bashing. Yeah, they're not that great, wanna fight about it?

Anyways this beer is a true NW-IPA, and has improved significantly since my first few sessions with it. I do think it is superior to Total Domination because it is both assertive and juicy.

Drinking this beer, though, I realized why people aren't so huge on B15. There's a rough cuhumulone element to many of their beers, this one included. I actually wrote in the original review "a chintzy bitterness". I think that's an OK thing, you get used to it, and it is certainly a more acceptible flaw than astringency, which way too damn many start-up PacNW IPAs have.

That said, my only across the board complaint with B15 is a thing I noticed the first time continues to be true to this day. It gives me a wicked headache about 1/2 pint in. But hey, perhaps like the bitterness, I'll get used to that to.

The beer's worth it.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2009 04:21:15 | More by GreenWBush

RedDiamond

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Block 15 lists different prices for different beers on their menu. They're all reasonable, but their Belgian-style dubbel is a notch higher and the Alpha IPA is also priced slightly more. Blame it on the hops.

But a good IPA is worth the extra coin and Alpha is a good IPA. It earns a solid base hit for deft suds, a softly contoured body, and everything you might expect from the fruit of the lupulus. Dry hopping and a total use of four hop varieties creates a beer with succulent, resinous hop flavor and the seductive aroma of fresh-squeezed hop juice. And beneath all those hops is an ample base of malt sweetness.

Alpha is unfiltered orange-gold with a citric finish and splotch lace. The body grows slightly thin after awhile, but not to the point of distraction.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2008 02:21:39 | More by RedDiamond