420 India Pale Ale - Stone Coast Brewing Co.

enso

Vermont

2.53/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

No freshness/bottled date evident. 12 oz. bottle poured into a Sam Adams glass. I have had this beer before and enjoyed it, sadly either this was a bad bottle or my memory was incorrect. Therefore...

Appearance: Pours a thick airy head even with slow careful pour. Large rocky bubbles. Golden orange color.

Aroma: Very unpleasant unfortunately. No hop aroma as such but a certainly some kind of infection. Not to be too harsh but the first thing that springs to mind is stomach bile. Acidic.

Taste: Sweetish upfront followed by roasty astringency. Hops are there somewhere but get lost in the astringent taste.

Mouthfeel: Good body for the style. Peppery carbonation perhaps a bit much which along with the initial pour leads me to further suspect some type of bacterial infection

Overall: Again I remember enjoying this beer before it has been a while. So I was rather disappointed. Perhaps I will try it again however with no way of knowing the age of the beer it may not be a risk i am willing to take.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2008 16:49:09 | More by enso

bboven

Texas

2.68/5  rDev -26%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Very dark copper and hazy body, but a nice head and lots of lacing saves it.

Initial hops but they fade after the swirl and give way to some malt and yeast character. Nothing stands out here.

Something stands out here, and that's the huge metal aftertaste. The hops are there, lending a citrus-metal combo, with tons of harsh bitterness in the end. The malt is there faintly in the beginning, but completely lost by the end.

Nicely carbonated, slightly drying, but sticky and bitter in the back.

Glad I tried it, but I would not recommend it. Way too metallic and there's a punching bitterness at the end that's not at all curbed.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2008 00:55:52 | More by bboven

lawrence76

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I agree with some of the other reviewers here in that this is a mediocre beer which probably does not really merit a second try for me.

It was a cloudy orange colour, quite pleasant looking, nice lacing down the sides of the glass.

That being said, the aroma and the flavour left something to be desired. I felt the body to be a bit to thin, and the taste almost grainy. I swear I can taste some wheat as part of the grist for this beer, but it doesn't really help flesh out the malt base.

I found the hop profile to be a bit "shallow" -that is, some good bitterness but not much depth of flavour (I tend to prefer a more "well-rounded" hop profile in an IPA).

Not bad....but like it has been said already, there is so much more out there to chose from.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2006 18:01:06 | More by lawrence76

UnionMade

Colorado

2.85/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

The beer pours a chill hazed oranged amber, topped with a thin white head. Streamers of carbonation rapidly rise to feed the head.
The aroma is mainly sharp, grassy, herbal hopping, with some mild malt hiding in the back. A little toasty graininess. Not much besides the hops.
Flavor starts with mild toasty malt up front. The hops enter quickly, with a very pungent grassiness. A touch of pear comes through in the middle, poking out of the hops and fading just as quickly. A wierd farmy hay flavor comes through in the hops, conjuring images of my old rabbit in his little hut. Earthy and grassy. Some grapefruity citric hopping comes through towards the finish, changing into an herbal grassy hopping in the end. A hint of woodiness, with a light soapy flavorpeeking through. A dryish citric tang in the finish, with a lingering grassy, earthy hop bitterness in the aftertaste. A bit of graininess in the aftertaste, as well. Smooth, english styled carbonation, with a medium body.
An interesting IPA. It kind of tastes like they used huge amounts of low alpha hops, with hop flavors across the spectrum. Not terribly bitter, but filled with hop flavor. Interesting and wierd. The hopping gets overwhelming, and reminds me of another herb...which I'm sure they were aiming for.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2003 05:56:31 | More by UnionMade

EPseja

New Jersey

2.9/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Served from a 12oz bottle in a pint glass at between fridge and cellar tempereatures.

A - Standard IPA orange-gold with a fluffy off-white head. Nicely unfiltered and hazy. Lacing is excellent and head retention is very good.

S - Crisp and evenly hopped. Malts are ambiguous and flat. Some European-style hoppiness in there... Traces of metallics. Eh.

T - Very light bodied - needs a touch more maltiness. Hoppiness is bitter, but not very flavorful. Some soapy notes? Ah... there is finally a touch of citrus, but too late. All around underwhelming.

M - Round and creamy without being overcarbonated. Pleasant and fresh. Crisp, tiny carbonation. Swallow is slick and satisfying. Nice.

D - Mediocre. This beer seems like an interesting batch that was started, but never seen through to ultimate completion. Looks great. Feels great. But that's where it ends. Balance issues -- especially in the malt department -- make this one just "so-so".

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2007 00:50:11 | More by EPseja

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a golden orange with a minimal head but does leave behind some fantastic lacing. Aroma of citrus & mild hoppiness.

Tastes of malt & very assertive, almost pungent citrus up front that melds into a somewhat subdued hoppiness. The citrus is almost overpowering and really sticks around after the finish. Decent mouthful that almost seemed a little too "fizzy".

Not quite sure what to think of this one. Me thinks I may have gotten hold of a bad bottle on this one, just based on the very dissapointing hop profile. I think that more of a hop presence may have helped balance out that overpowering citrus and made it more drinkable for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2007 00:35:22 | More by Kegatron

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.95/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I received this bottle along with a bunch of other New England goodies from a very kind trader last week. I chilled this one down very well before serving it. Right out of the fridge it came and poured immediately into a pint glass. This one was consumed on 10/08/2008.

The pour came through as a gusher, right off the bat I knew it was going to be interesting. Tons of foam on this one led to a three part pour before I could empty the entire bottle. Still though, I was able to make out a nice dark amber color. Some good carbonation as you would expect coming up from the bottom on this one to reinforce a thick head of foam that was just about everywhere. Rich side glass lace, though it does lose some points for the gushing.

The aroma was rather pungent, with that vinegar like hop nose to it. No where near enough of a citrus touch to it, this was way too astringent to be over that pleasant. The flavor followed more of the same. Some of that sweaty gym sock like aroma from the hops, far too strong and really a bit repugnant. Some light grain sitting way underneath this, but still awfully one sided and lacking the depth I was hoping to find. Decent body though with a medium, almost chewy feel and a good amount of carbonation coming through, I cannot really take off too much in the way of drinking as it was session able enough, though the flavor, or lack of dimension hurt it some here.

Overall while not being terrible by any means, this was by no means a favorite of mine. I would have no issue trying it on tap as I may have just received a bad bottle, but no matter, it was still worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2008 23:08:54 | More by mikesgroove

williamherbert

New York

2.98/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Orange-gold appearance. Nice full amount of head that isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Cloudy and opaque.

Overwhelming fruity scent. Overpowers any malt or hops that might be present. It's a good smell, but doesn't seem like it's going to be an IPA. By smell alone, it seems like it would be an Apricot ale or some such madness. Malts and fruits dominate the bouquet.

Has a very fruity, hoppy flavor. Unusual. Not quite anything I can remember having before. The fruit is actually much more prominent than the hops. I was expecting a bit more of a cannabis flavor given the name, but alas it is nowhere to be found. Tastes more like an apricot ale than an IPA. Or rather, an apricot ale with a heavy hop presence.

A bit too fizzy and carbonated for my taste. I would prefer something a little smoother. The fizziness on the tongue makes it a bit of a tough sell. Harder to drink than many of the smoother IPAs. In fact, I would say that this beer is smooth as sandpaper. Not bad, just not one I crave.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2006 02:40:24 | More by williamherbert

ChappyCubsFan

California

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

This beer finished 7th out of 12 beers in our blind taste test of New England and Mid-Atlantic IPA's. I enjoyed one of these on my tour of New England, and figured it would do much better than 7th in our blind taste test when I caught up with the gang in Philly with a bag full of New England IPA's.

It pours a deep copper color with good head and lacing. It has a very different malt taste from most of the other New England IPA's. The hops aroma is definitely there - pine and citrus. It works for me, although I don't consider it a beer I could drink more than a pint in one sitting. There is a somewhat awkward aftertaste, not bad, but not great either. It was almost like the aftertaste of a wheat beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2005 16:11:16 | More by ChappyCubsFan

lordofthewiens

Maine

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

This beer is a nice orange-yellow appearance with a small head. It has a vaguely fruity odor to it. The taste is underwhelmingly hoppy, and lacks bite to it. Not unpleasant a taste, but just an ordinary beer. Not something I'd want to spend the night with.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2006 12:42:26 | More by lordofthewiens

yourunclewalt

New York

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

A - Hazy orange with no carbonation and a lacy eggshell head

S - Oddly malty aroma, earthy, dank spicy hops.

T - Sap, birch, tree-bark? with a tinge of sweetened lime as a kicker. Grassy, overall.

M - Thin, dry, carbonated finish

D - Too earthy / soily for my tastes, but it's definitely worth a try if you're into resiny / dank hops and IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2007 02:22:57 | More by yourunclewalt

Xadoor

Texas

3.03/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hazy amber colour in the glass. Very little head, thin layer of bubbles across the top with very little lacing. Light aroma, slightly floral and citrusy. Sweet caramel flavours to start but very quickly turned bitter. Some pine with a strong citrus and grapfruit flavours to finish. The higher ABV is only slightly noticeable, but I found the strong grapefruit finish a little too overpowering. Not a bad beer, but not one that I would drink several of either.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2006 02:11:58 | More by Xadoor

riversider76

New York

3.05/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a golden brown. Decent head,and good lacing. Smell is weak,and grainy. Not much there. Body is medium,and carbonated. Taste was that of sour fruit,with a decent hop kick in the finish. Not one of the best IPA's I've tried, but maybe you will like it. Worth a try I guess.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2006 21:08:29 | More by riversider76

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle-Deep mahogany liquid, pours a frothy, and short lived eggshell head. The aroma is heavy on the bread crust and dark fruit, with some hops (pine, citrus), and quite a dose of raspberry iced tea. Tasted of fruity malts, bread crust, some caramel, a little low on the hops, and certainly low on bitterness. Finishes with a blast of raspberry iced tea. Strange example of an IPA, and if I had to guess, I'd say an EPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2008 19:19:16 | More by mrmanning

yankeeheel

Maine

3.08/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours an extremely hazy orange. Smells a little yeasty with some hop citrus as well. Minimal white head with sparse lacing.

The taste is not bad for an IPA. Scant malt profile followed by that hop wave with a hint of lemon citrus at the end. Very nice mouthfeel. If I had to drink an IPA I guess I'd go with this until a better option rears its head.

Me and IPA's are trying to love each other. Further counseling is needed.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2003 23:55:29 | More by yankeeheel

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

After the pour, the head was thick in volume but thin in density and the beer was a pale copper. The hops were mild and it was not as biting as some other IPAs. My preference with IPAs is a strong biting bitter flavor. Unfortunately, the hops in the 420 are more mild. The beer has a light feeling in the mouth. There is also no real finish to the beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-18-2004 03:35:18 | More by MuddyFeet

GolgiIPAratus

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Sampled: 11.29.05

Appearance is clear amber-orange and virtually no rising bubbles. A fluffy eggwhite head leaves sticky lacing.

The aroma is resiny hops, mostly pine and light on the citrus.

The taste is typical IPA fare. Bitter and hoppy with little malt to challenge it. Nothing too great. Certainly not a bad beer by any means, but I’m not looking for beer to merely suffice. Medium carbonation keeps it crisp and the mouth is coated with some hop oils after each sip.

It’s easy to drink, but I tended to drink them a bit fast as I wasn’t really taken with the flavor enough to sip and savor. So, I’m not sure how truthful it is to say this was easily “drinkable”. Anyway, I will not be buying these again in the future with so many other more delicious options to choose from.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2005 15:10:35 | More by GolgiIPAratus

saskguy

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev -13%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

While this beer has hops, it does not seem to be that hoppy...

Good head though it went fast. An amber orange colour. In the American IPA style.

The mouth feel was fine and it did go down well with both the malt and hop evident. I would drink it again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2003 21:21:18 | More by saskguy

warriorsoul

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I have enjoyed this beer in the past at the Sunday River Brewing Company in Bethel, ME. Nice to see it offered bottled in my neck of the woods.
Pours a cloudy, copper color...looks more like a pale ale.
A full finger of head and ever lasting lace that does not move...just clings to the glass.
Smell is a hint of hops...not much going on here.
Taste is clean, but not enough hops for my liking...a bit too bitter of an aftertaste....affecting its mouthfeel. The malt/hop balance is decent, but neither stand out in my opinion.
I have had this beer on tap many times at Sunday River and I always enjoyed it, but there are other beers offered that I would prefer these days.
Carbonation is right on and this beer goes down without much effort...I would get bored after a couple of these and need to switch it up a bit.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2005 21:32:29 | More by warriorsoul

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My only bottle has an upside-down label, which I thought might have been intentional (considering the name of the beer) until I looked here. In any case...

The color is great, a sunset red/orange thing, and the head starts big and fluffy, reducing to a creamy layer after a little bit. Good retention there too, and notable lace. But without any unusual agitation, and having stored it upright, there emerged a zillion chunky bits into the glass on the pour. I usually don't mind those sorts of things, but with an IPA, it's not all that attractive. Kind of worrying, actually...

Nice aroma, pretty huge on the hops, very pure...you know exactly what kind of beer it is, so they nailed that part. There's a biscuity undertow from the malt to help with balance, but this is clearly all about hops.

Flavor is one-dimensional. If only a little bit of malty sweetness could get through, but it doesn't stand a chance. A pretty crazy hop-bomb: leafy, grassy, resiny, sour, even soapy...no real regard to balance. I like it actually, but it gets a little coarse on the tongue after a bit. Finishes with a harsh hop bite...surprising! (Maybe if all that sediment weren't present, it would be a different story, but this is my one and only bottle.)

Mouthfeel is light in weight but fairly heavy on carbonation, giving this a prickly texture. Just what it needed...yeah right.

I'm torn.

Here's where the "average" rating of a 3 shows its weakness. While I gave a 3 in most categories--because of attacking one-dimensional hoppiness and ugly sedimentation--it's anything but "average". What it is is nuts. Very unbalanced, no real depth, but damn it I love hops and it delivers on that front. Where the more sublime beers in this style waltz in with an astonishing beauty, this one staggers in drunkenly, pisses on the floor, and leaves with a grunt. It ain't pretty. Recommended to hopophiles only.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2008 23:20:41 | More by Metalmonk

connecticutpoet

Connecticut

3.23/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Another clear amber beer, this time with a very thin layer of foam for a head. Almost not enough to measure.

Aroma was pine and grapefruit hop flavors, and some caramel-like medium malts. The alcohol also stood out... more so that I would expect from a beer at 6.9 %.

Taste was initially of bitter hop resins, followed by clean light malts. There was a definite alcohol bite.

Mouthfeel was a little thin and watery, not really chewy.

I would only give this average drinkability. Nothing really stood out for me, even though I love IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2005 03:08:29 | More by connecticutpoet

TheTrevor

New York

3.23/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'm such a sucker for goofy labels, and this one is pretty far up there in my book. This beer poured a copper color with a single-finger head. The nose is subtle with some malts and maybe some floral hops. The taste starts off with some sweetness that has and almost fruity quality to it that is followed by some fairly bold hops that provide a bit of citrusy bite and linger on the palate. The mouthfeel isn't bad, but the amount of hops in this beer would probably keep me from enjoying more than one at a time.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2008 01:12:47 | More by TheTrevor

geexploitation

Indiana

3.3/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a middling amber with a sticky, gray-white head that clings just a bit to the glass. Aroma is a bit funky with earthy hops (that remind me of sweaty socks), but the aroma clears up a bit with time to something more redolent of sweet malts with a caramel tinge. Some esters present, mainly apples. The taste is a bit one dimensional, with bright hops carrying almost the entire load. Apples, some funk, and a bit of mint round things out. The finish is active and off-dry. Good carbonation levels. Overall, this is a decent IPA, something sessionable, but nothing distinctive.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2006 04:38:22 | More by geexploitation

JMScowcroft

Vermont

3.3/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Look - Cool stoner label. Pours peach colored and settles a gentle amber in the glass. Nice looking, light on the fizz with a creamy, foamy head.

Smell - Hoppy and smooth, mouth-watering.

Taste - Bubbly and creamy followed by the hops, and then the hops stay. Just average here.

Mouthfeel - Hoppy and a slight bit overpowering, which is standard for this type of beer, but that's still no excuse.

Drinkability - A little below average drinkability. The mouthfeel creates an unpleasant aura so you won't go rushing for the fridge.

Best served very, very cold.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2008 23:19:59 | More by JMScowcroft

jhammerly

Nebraska

3.33/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to jrdegriselles for this one.

A hazy golden body with a tint of amber. A small white, fluffy head that left some lacing along the glass. Some citrus notes in the nose as well as on the tongue. A nice balance between hops and malt. The hops aren't as assertive as I feel they can be (I may have sat on this one too long). Medium-bodied, slightly creamy mouthfeel. A good beer that I would love to try freash.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2007 03:33:33 | More by jhammerly