Cool Brew - Napa Smith Brewery

cjgator3

Florida

2.58/5  rDev -25%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle

A- Pours a amber color with an off-white head.

S- The aroma is very unique. The nose is very sweet with some malt and floral hops.

T- the taste like the aroma is sweet malt up front with a nice dose of bitter flavors in the finish from the hops. The taste is way too sweet for my liking.
 
M- The mouthfeel is somewhere between light and medium bodies with a good amount of carbonation. 

O- Overall, an interesting and unique beer but not something I would purchase again. It is a little too sweet for my tastes. The sweetness could be turned down and the hops turned up just a touch. 

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 04:17:11 | More by cjgator3

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.08/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Poured a finger and half of head on a hazy, medium straw colored body.
The aroma had the mildest citrus and pine smells.
The taste had a watery-mild bitterness to it with a sweet note at the end. Meh.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
It does not have anything really going for it. It's not bad, but it has no real flavor or smell to it.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 21:22:29 | More by Fatehunter

prock180

Arizona

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%

05-13-2013 23:47:33 | More by prock180

Danno48

West Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +1.7%

04-15-2013 02:26:07 | More by Danno48

UCLABrewN84

California

3.3/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy honey orange with a foamy beige head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. A foamy curtain of lace coats the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, and citrus zest. Taste is much the same with a slightly tart flavor and acidic quality on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average beer with a slightly odd flavor that lessens the drinkability for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 03:53:15 | More by UCLABrewN84

Backlash209

California

2.75/5  rDev -20.1%

10-12-2012 01:25:47 | More by Backlash209

UnderPressure

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden orange. Decent lacing. Pretty standard looking IPA.

Awesome hoppy floral aroma.

Great, great flavor. There's a toasty, biscuity flavor upfront. Not intensely bitter. Plenty of hops.

Medium bodied. Soft bitterness. Nice mouthfeel.

Great hoppy ale. I'll buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 17:14:05 | More by UnderPressure

BeerCigar

California

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%

09-06-2012 03:21:29 | More by BeerCigar

HalfFull

California

2.5/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Standard 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. Pours a deep golden with a notable haze and offers a light cap. Moderate retention and a slightly underdone carbonation, yet showing a relentless cap and decent lace.

Aroma of caramel malt and ruddy hops.

Flavor follows the aroma with a clean character of some ruddy caramel malts. A bit at odds perhaps but a decent delivery follows. In the end the caramel is a bit overbearing to call this an IPA, particularly given the light hop presence on the aroma side of things.

Average feel, a bit sweet yet equally light in carbonation to match. Overall not something to revisit for me. A pleasant though light bitterness expands with warming but doesn't justify fighting through the sweet caramel. Next..

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 06:31:27 | More by HalfFull

mactrail

California

3.15/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Looks quite nice in the tall wine glass. Nice amber and a head that settles down to a never-ending white cap. Also very sudsy when you sip, and makes for a pleasing mouthful.

Thickest, murkiest stew of hop flavors. Quite resiny, but as part of the indefinable flavor mess. Do they just put the spent grains with some fresh hops in a blender and strain it through some pantyhose? Rather bitter and hot on the lips. I find this hard to describe, but it less beer-like than any IPA I've ever had. It's sort of an amber mixed too much hop vines from the silo.

From the 22 oz bottle. I'm usually a big fan of Napa Smith, but they should have called this WTF.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 04:23:51 | More by mactrail

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.48/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours hazy orange with a rather small off-white head that leaves nice lacings.

S: Floral hops dominates; elder-berries and lemons. A bit grassy and a hint of nettles. Sweet caramell malt.

T: Malt is a bit stronger and holds nice sweetness. Bitter hops and floral hops complements the malt. Again elder-berries and lemons. A bit bready.

M: Aftertaste holds bitterness for quite some time. Body is medium to full while carbonation is held back.

O: The elder-berries caught me off guard, but was actually the best part in this, rather interesting ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 19:47:59 | More by Sunnanek

aztraz

Sweden

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%

07-01-2012 19:10:12 | More by aztraz

kojevergas

California

2.9/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a conical Guinness pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. I forget where I acquired it, but it was probably Wally's Wine in Westwood. Expectations are average; this is me first beer from this brewery. Reviewed live. 6.5% ABV confirmed. I can't find a bottled on or best before date.

Not paired with food.

Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated. Served straight from the refrigerator and allowed to warm only slightly; I like my IPAs cold.

A: Pours a one finger beige head of decent cream, fair thickness, and above average retention. Colour is a hazy somewhat translucent dull copper. Not unique or special, but spot on for the style. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Nothing strikes me as particularly appealing.

Sm: Hops: some floral, some pine, some citrus. Maybe grapefruit. Clean malts. Cream. A slight vague buttery note. A mild strength aroma.

T: Hops are present but largely balanced, with pine, light citrus (grapefruit), and floral character. Hop bitterness does emerge slightly on the climax. Clean malts provide the foundation. Some overdone crystal malt sticks out in the third act, affecting the structural balance negatively. No yeast or alcohol comes through. Little stands out here. Simply built for the style. Not at all special or unique. Neither complex nor subtle, but certainly pleasant. I'd stop short of refreshing, but it's fairly fresh.

Mf: Coarse and dry on the climax (where the hop bitterness emerges), but smooth and wet everywhere else. Adequately thick. A touch overcarbonated.

Dr: A drinkable but forgettable IPA. There's nothing here to distinguish it from any other generic IPA. I wouldn't get it again merely for its mediocrity. Hides its ABV well.

C

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 05:49:17 | More by kojevergas

rarbring

Sweden

3.53/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A hazy light amber brew, an off-white head leaving very good lacing. Some curtains.

The smell is citric, grape-fruit and orange, and some new-cut grass.

Starting with some crust from bread loafs, then bitter orange peel and lime pulp.

Medium low carbonation, soft and smooth, a moderately dry finish.

Fresh and fruity, no fuss.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 17:58:13 | More by rarbring

CP20

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -12.8%

06-12-2012 02:02:08 | More by CP20

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Well made single dimensional brews that come off the canvas with flavor that hits just a bit plain. Enjoyable one dimensional is better than nothing at all, but I understand this beer this is a drinkable version of a lightly hopped Northern Californian IPA. Pours a pale slightly hazed golden copper hue with a light white head forming fine with even speckled lace. Aroma has a combination of floral and citrus qualities that really work for this beer. Flavor has nothing overbearing a bit of tea leaf and citrus qualities come together to forma a hop palate, a nice bready yeast ridden malty character is pale biscuit malts, with a slightly earthy yeast charater coming through. Very nice balance, body is light to medium with even carbonation in each sip, a beer that will do very well in the good ol' Dubya Vee.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 01:17:05 | More by WVbeergeek

cmonfradi

West Virginia

4/5  rDev +16.3%

04-30-2012 02:07:42 | More by cmonfradi

JupiterJesus

California

2.88/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Flavors are extremely bready malt, a hint of sweetness and lots of papaya and mango. A hint of pine or spruce, maybe. I know I've read people mention stuff like 'papaya' and other weird descriptors when reviewing beer, but this is the first time it really hit me in the face. The bready mango (mango sandwich?) is kind of an aquired taste. It tastes better than it smells.

In response to other reviews that claim this isn't hoppy enough, this is as hoppy as any IPA I've had - but it's all in the dry hop, so it lacks the face-punching intensity of a typical west coast brew. I don't consider this a negative, as this very quality is advertised right on the back of the bottle.

More drinkable than their organic IPA, but only if you degas it a little and let it warm up. Probably better on draft.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 23:46:51 | More by JupiterJesus

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer started off pretty good, but got a bit too tangy and malty sweet not too far into things. Still drinkable, yes. But not really bringing the character that so many others in the style do. Especially compared to many of those that are brewed around here. Not the worst ever, but isn't bringing the IPA-ness. If ya know what I mean. Mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 07:31:16 | More by RblWthACoz

avalon07

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a yellow color and a clear texture. There was an inch of foamy, somewhat long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A decent amount of hops in the aroma, with a grainy smell as well.

T: Tasted of hops, malt, a little citrus (grapefruit), a breadiness, and grain. A pretty good flavor, but it seemed to be lacking in the hops department - at least for an IPA.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Light- to medium-bodied.

O: An alright IPA that isn't terrible, but doesn't measure up to the great beers of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 14:16:06 | More by avalon07

Ghizmo

West Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%

04-03-2012 20:56:08 | More by Ghizmo

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle - $2.09 at Total Wine & More in Atlanta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a clear (though an initial chill haze), golden body with a frothy, white head that settles though never entirely dissipates.

Smell: Modest pale base malts with mild-mannered notes of biscuit and cracker with hoppy hints of lemon, grapefruit, and hewn grasses.

Taste: Sweetish pale malts with some accents of biscuits and waterlogged crackers with a little edge of caramel to it. Dried lemon rind, slightly grassy, slightly earthy hops with sufficient bitterness to balance things out. Becomes just a little bit astringent as you hit the dry, relatively crisp finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium carbonation.

Overall: A Cool Brew? Well, it's just OK.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 03:36:18 | More by ChainGangGuy

dominic4beer

California

3.75/5  rDev +9%

03-24-2012 17:33:36 | More by dominic4beer

damngoode

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%

03-17-2012 02:37:16 | More by damngoode

coldriver

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bomber poured into Sam Adams glass. Exploded forth from the opened bottle - fortunately I was fairly close to the sink - what a mess. Deep amber and cloudy. Aroma is subdued, not really getting much from the hops, smells more like an amber than an IPA. Taste is pretty light for an IPA, and not very distinctive. Leaves kind of a unpleasant aftertaste and doesn't seem all that well balanced. Overall I'm not impressed - it was cheap though. Would not have it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 19:12:51 | More by coldriver