Chinooker'd IPA - Lawson's Finest Liquids

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A gold foil wrapped 22 ounce bomber. Much thanks to brothercannon for bringing a few of these down to PA for me to enjoy. Rare batch #96, bottle #48. Uncapped and poured into my Adnams nonic tumbler. The ale appears a hazy pale golden amber color with about two fingers of creamy off white foam. The head leaves a size-able lace in its wake with each sip. A very nice looking pour. The nose and flavors consist of bitter white and red grapefruit peel and juice, orange and tangerine peel, some lemon, just about the right amount of sweet caramelized malt, lightly toasted bread, somewhat earthy, resinous pine, dank weed, another wave of grapefruit, a pleasant lingering bitterness. The ale falls somewhere between medium and full bodied with ample carbonation. A great example of the style. Thanks again Tim!

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2010 04:52:16 | More by ClockworkOrange

glid02

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by jophish17 - thanks!

Pours a light copper color with a one-finger white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of citrus - grapefruit and lemon peel - and herbal hops with a pale malt backbone.

Tastes similar to how it smells however the hops are a bit stronger in the taste than the smell intimated. Pale malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by good amounts of citrus hops with very light hints of pine. Midway through the sip the hop flavors gain a slightly leafy quality and carry through to a moderately bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a very nice thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall I thought this was a solid IPA however judging from the reviews I may have had a bottle that wasn't terribly fresh. Still, it has the makings of a good beer and I'll be interested to try others from Lawson.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2009 04:33:15 | More by glid02

boatshoes

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received this in a recent trade with TheRowan. Great first trade man, and I hope you enjoyed the goods I sent back!

Appearance- Pours a deep amber golden with an abundance of cream colored head-at least a solid two fingers off a mild pour. Lots of carbonation beading up the sides of the glass and great retention on the head. A real looker.

Smell- Smells heavily of piney hops, resin, and grapefruit. Really hop forward with the chinook and very much on the side of pine rather than fruity I find.

Taste- More of the same. Very very hop forward with lots of pine, resin, and bitter grapefruit. Not overly fruity or floral, but a very nice hop punch. However, there is a noticeable malt backbone on this one and the hops really gets milder as the beer warms up.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Nice and slick with good levels of carbonation. Just a touch too malt forward for me in an american IPA, so loses just a hair on the drinkability.

Overall, an extremely solid beer. My first from the brewery and I was very happy to try it. Recommended thoroughly.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2009 03:16:43 | More by boatshoes

koopa

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz gold foiled bomber received in a trade with MtGoat thanks!

Appearance: Electric pumpkin body with a massive 3 finger off white crown that shows lots of retention and lace. Sexy!

Smell: Deep citrusy grapefruit chinook hop notes over a slightly sweet malt.

Taste: Lots of well executed hop bitterness up front that opens up to some fruity and citrusy notes before a well executed hop bitterness finish.

Mouthfeel: Really nice medium body that is a bit crisp do to ample carbonation.

Drinkability: at 6.9% this IPA has legs but it still goes down well even considering the good amount of bitter hops.

Well done!

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2009 23:16:51 | More by koopa

MasterSki

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to stowehop for this extra(!). Served in a Sierra Nevada pint glass. Batch #57, bottle #5.

A - Voluminous two fingers of slow-dissipating off-white foam with tons of sticky lacing. Mostly transparent golden orange color with a hint of red to it - lots of bubbles racing upwards in this one.

S - Lots of ripe citrus flavors - orange, tangerine, grapefruit - but also some dank earthy flavors underneath. Tons of sweet caramel and dough sweetness makes for a very balanced brew in the aroma department.

T - Totally unexpected bitterness here that lingers well into the aftertaste - it's not overwhelming, just persistent. Lots of citrus sweetness mixed with caramel malt, and a touch of piney goodness.

M - This is a lighter body, which works for a regular IPA although might be a touch thinner than I like. Soft, lower carbonation, dry finish, with lots of sticky resins.

D - The bitterness is pretty palate-wrecking - not sure if I could have more than a couple glasses of this one. Otherwise it's easy drinking - lower ABV, light texture, mild carbonation.

This brew came out of left field, but I really enjoyed it. Hopefully I'll get to check out some other Lawson's special releases in the future.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2009 00:48:45 | More by MasterSki

Brad007

Vermont

4.18/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a medium golden color with a one-finger head into my glass. Looks good so far.

Aroma is full of grassy, floral chinook hops with a bit of malt underneath.

Taste is full of citrusy hop bitterness from the chinook followed by biscuit malt underneath.

Mouthfeel is full of lingering hop bitterness. Very nice. It can be a bit harsh at first but has a good overall taste.

Very good. Wish I could get more soon. Otherwise, the guy knows his stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2009 18:48:41 | More by Brad007

lpayette

Vermont

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Ahhh- finally got my hands on some Lawson's Finest stuff. Sure it added 45 minutes to my drive up to Burlington, but taking the scenic way up rte 100 alone was worth doing that. Let's see if the beer is also worth it. Oh, and on a side note: Review #300 for me.

Appearance- Nice golden honey color. It's pretty cloudy, but it doesn't seem to be from chill haze. This is just a product of nice small batch brewing with less filtration, and lots of flavor. Big, frothy, white head that has some good staying power and excellent lacing.

Smell- Biggg citrusy notes. Lots of grapefruit and orange peel. Good malt backbone is evident, but smell-wise it's definitely in the background. Notes of honey as well.

Taste- The label says "...chock-fill of Chinook hops & bursting with citrusy goodness" and I think that's a great way to describe this beer. This is perhaps perfectly balanced as far as IPAs go, and the simplicity of the hops (I assume only 1 variety is used) really allows the Chinook to shine through and show what it can do for a beer. I'm a big fan of single hop beers lately it seems. As a homebrewer it's a great convenience to be able see what a single hop do without having to carry out the experiment for oneself.

Mouthfeel- I really can't think of how the mouthfeel of an IPA could be any better than this one. Perfectly carbonated. Just great overall.

Drinkability- Let me put it this way: I'm not complaining that I don't have anyone to share this bomber with. This is good stuff, and I've got to conclude that the 4 bottles of this that I picked up were worth the longer trip to Burlington.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2009 02:31:02 | More by lpayette

thekevlarkid

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Out of a gold foil wrapped bottle (#16 of Rare Batch #39) this beer was a tangerine orange/gold color with good clarity and a little amount of rising carbonation. The yellow-tinted head was a full three-fingers thick and displayed very good retention as a cap. The lacing was very thick and consistent all the way down my glass. The aroma was an excellent blend of 'citrusy goodness' provided by the Chinook hops with some light green and floral notes along with pale malt in the background. The flavors were at first very citrusy, lots of grapefruit and orange peels notes, in the middle I tasted some pine and towards the end the herbal bitterness really came through. The citrusy oils from the hops left a slick on my tongue. Totally a hop-head beer and it fully captured the flavor of this complex hop strain. Though hop dominated there was enough doughy malt and pale malt to keep it balanced. The mouthfeel was smooth, the body medium/full and the carbonation delicate. Personally, I love a bold beer and this was just that. Another winner (in this case, literally) from Sean Lawson.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2009 18:21:52 | More by thekevlarkid

plaid75

New York

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a Medium copper hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured potent combination of citrusy hops. Centennial, cascade and chinook seem to have been added very late in the boil.

The taste consisted of a resinous hop with wave after wave of citrusy goodness. A solid doughy malt supported the hops rather well.

The mouthfeel was of average fullness for the style.

Overall an excellent AIPA. One of the best I have had in a while.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2008 20:25:39 | More by plaid75