Apocalypse IPA - 10 Barrel Brewing Co.

Gobzilla

California

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

01-20-2013 22:55:54 | More by Gobzilla

Glibber

Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

05-19-2013 22:03:10 | More by Glibber

flagmantho

Washington

3.96/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: medium golden hue with only the faintest touch of haze. Effervescence is quite light bu tthe head is a thick finger of tenacious foam with a chunky lace on the glass. Not bad!

Smell: lightly sweet malt aroma with a citrusy, piney and lightly floral hop aroma. A standard composition for an IPA around here, but well-balanced and quite enjoyable.

Taste: sweet malty flavor with a little bit of caramel character thrown in. Hops are resinous with a little bit of grapefruit in the works, but in general there is less character than the aroma. Bitterness is strong, yet balanced. This beer is unremarkable on paper, but it just rubs me the right way.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and a moderately creamy texture -- not bad for the style.

Overall: a totally drinkable IPA. Perhaps its familiarity breeds quaffability, but in general this is a well-executed NW IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 01:46:30 | More by flagmantho

gefinley

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-16-2013 16:37:21 | More by gefinley

spark3148857

New York

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-12-2013 16:41:21 | More by spark3148857

VTHopddicted

Vermont

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-11-2013 11:36:49 | More by VTHopddicted

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

05-09-2013 20:32:58 | More by LXIXME

gnikola

Serbia

4.75/5  rDev +21.5%

05-07-2013 06:18:16 | More by gnikola

NWer

Washington

4.51/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured cloudy golden in nonic. Head retained nicely. Good lace.
Aroma flowery, sweet, malt forward.
Taste wonderfully ballanced. Very smooth easy going flavors ranging from mildly hoppy to malt smoothness. Tastes extremely fresh though it's not the season for fresh hop IPA's nor is it hyped as one.
Aftertaste is near perfection. The perfect IPA for a hot Summer (Spring?) afternoon.
Overall, there is nothing to dislike about this beer.
I want more.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 19:05:33 | More by NWer

SMITHAND

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

05-06-2013 16:29:31 | More by SMITHAND

MastaShonuf

California

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-05-2013 21:34:31 | More by MastaShonuf

Laklimell

Washington

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-03-2013 19:05:52 | More by Laklimell

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

05-03-2013 13:25:01 | More by Thorpe429

ChugMan

Washington

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-27-2013 07:08:33 | More by ChugMan

dsshuck

Maryland

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-19-2013 23:40:25 | More by dsshuck

Juno_Malone

Idaho

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-15-2013 01:02:35 | More by Juno_Malone

510a

Washington

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-12-2013 05:11:53 | More by 510a

crewfan1952

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

04-08-2013 01:20:27 | More by crewfan1952

mbw314

California

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-06-2013 17:52:04 | More by mbw314

Hendry

Vermont

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

Very slight cloudiness in this golden orange IPA with a pleasant head of light foam that leaves somewhat quickly leaving a consistent cap.

The nose is typical in the North-West vein. When other reviewers refer to BIG grapefruit and tangerine in the nose, as they do with so many other IPAs, I have to wonder what they are comparing it to? I keep smelling fresh cantaloupe and caramel with a hint of alcohol.

When I think of BIG grapefruit, in terms of a single IPA, I think of AleSmith, which really hits the mark at an extra $1.50 per bomber. The characteristics of the North-West & South-West IPAs are clearly different and something I am smelling and tasting with more definition each time I sample.

The flavors, to my palate, are a nice example of a NW IPA,but certainly nothing that blows me away. More lingering flavors of cantaloupe and raw Bavarian pretzel dough: same thing many others deliver in a similar fashion. Easily as good as Gigantic IPA and very much in that same Oregon style that is becoming more familiar to me.

I recommend the $5 bomber rather than investing $12 in the six pack to see if Apocalypse is your taste or not. If you are looking for a more truly defined grapefruit/pine/tangerine nose,flavor and aftertaste, spend the extra buck-and-a-half on the AleSmith bomber and you won't regret it.

After getting spoiled like a brat to our Vermont offerings from Lawson's, Hill Farmstead, and The Alchemist, there are very few "six-pack" beers that really make a lasting impression in their wake.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 02:22:56 | More by Hendry

BillHilly

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

04-05-2013 00:29:07 | More by BillHilly

superspak

Michigan

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

22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but was purchased recently. Pours lightly hazy golden amber color with a nice 1-2 finger dense white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of big grapefruit, orange zest, tangerine, floral, pineapple, orange rind, lemon zest, pine, honey, light caramel, and floral earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of hops and malt sweetness. Taste of grapefruit, orange zest, tangerine, pineapple, lemon zest, floral, pine, grass, honey, light caramel, light bread, and floral earthiness. Moderate floral and citrus bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, citrus zest, pineapple, floral, light pine, honey, light caramel, and floral earthiness on the finish for a bit. Very nice balance and complexity of hop flavors; with a great balance of hops/malt that still showcases the hop flavors; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy and fairly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice IPA! Great balance and complexity of hop and malt flavors; and very smooth to drink. No complaints at all, very well done.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 04:39:15 | More by superspak

Skeeze

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

04-01-2013 23:05:03 | More by Skeeze

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

4.11/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a dark gold color with middling clarity. The head is an impressive looking four finger (via aggressive pour) offwhite shade. Retention here is quite strong, and as the head slowly recedes, plenty of lacing is left on the glass.

S: Big grapefruit here on the nose. A bit of malt sweetness breaks up all the hops, but ultimately, the pine, black pepper, and grapefruit qualities from the hops win out.

T: Similar to the aroma, the dominant flavor on the palate is grapefruit-derived hop flavors. I half-expected an upsurge of bitter, piny hop flavors on the back end, but no. The bitterness is really well restrained here, seemingly replaced with savory, nonintrusive caramel malts and bright citrus peel. Nonintrusive is the key word here - to me, an overt malt backbone can kill an IPA worse than excessive hop bitterness can, and this strikes a balance between the two aspects. As it warms up, the flavor really takes on a savory, herbal bend to it, especially on the finish.

M: The texture features good dryness, however it could be a bit lighter in my opinion. Still, I like the lack of palate wrecking bitterness here. I'd almost call it 'soft' - but not quite.

O: What a pleasant surprise! I wasn't really expecting too much here, but I'm honestly impressed with this offering. This is a great example of a 'balanced' IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 22:41:51 | More by ThisWangsChung

JBetz

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

03-29-2013 05:15:40 | More by JBetz