Meadowlark IPA - Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Although Pretty Things continues to bore me with their labels, I admit that it's what's on the inside that counts. And what's on the inside with the drippy goodness of citra hops!

Goldenrod in color, the beer pours with a moderate haze and burnish undertones. Capped by a creamy off-white head, the foam speckles the glass with residual froth and lace.

Striking aromas of citra hops leap to the foreground with the omnipresent notes of tangerine, mango, apricot (fruit rollups), butterscotch, chive, and strangely- catty. Backed by the caramel sweetness from malt, the beer has an elegant simplicity but complex aromatic spread.

Similarly, the flavors start balanced as well- citrus meets caramel, butterscotch meets herbs, and dry starch meets tropical fruits head on. There's really no chance that the malts give first impressions against the hop onslaught. Both weigh in with an even-keel start, but the hops pull ahead at mid palate and favor the earthy, grassy, musty, and ultimately citrusy and tropical fruit flavors thereafter. Citrus oils frame the bitterness that finishes the beer but never really sheds its mild buttery flavor entirely.

Medium-dry early and off-dry late, the beer's embedded carbonation gives creamy textures to accompany citrusy taste early on. But as the carbonation subsides, the dry malt textures allow for complete hop dominance to finish. Warm, resinous, and a semi-arid mouthfeel gives final impressions as the palate forwards to the next sip. Interestingly, the butterscotch taste only translates to a thin buttery coat to the mouth that's easily overlooked.

The influence of citra hops is unmistakable in this beer. As the creamy-citrus start turns resiny bitter to finish, the beer confusses the palate with a rich tropical character woven into slight buttery tones. Oddly enough, the majority of butter notes show up in aroma and not in taste nor texture.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 04:58:42 | More by BEERchitect

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.48/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap 8/4/2012 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a large white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is a nice blend of citrus, floral hops and light caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out with a strong burst of grassy hops bitterness. Then some sweet flavors of citrus and caramel come in. The malt character is on the thin side but it works nicely for this particular beer and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

O: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, good kick, very good representation of style, this is a very nice IPA to pound down for a long time.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2012 01:39:46 | More by TheManiacalOne

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Starts with a large, rocky head. Leaves chunks of lace on the glass as the liquid recedes. Mild haze on the otherwise dirty gold color.

Solid grapefruit, floral hop aroma. Good pale malt base. Attractive.

A true IPA with a solid malt start that gets completely dominated by a hop wallop that leaves one's mouth puckering. The swallow is like sucking a hop pellet and the aftertaste is bitter and long. The body is typical for the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 23:23:57 | More by smcolw

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big fluffy head almost 2 fingers fades at a med pace with lots of sticky lacing, mostly clear slight haze slight tan golden color.

Nose had lots of fresh hops, tropical fruit with a hint of musty resin, light guava, grapefruit, hint of pine, juicy citrus like tangerine and orange zest. All that and a light sweet toasty like malt.

Taste starts with fresh hops again, with more tropical juicy fruit. Some musty light resinous hops kick in at first, then grapefruit, pineapple, light guava and passion fruit, juicy fruit, light citrus tangerine, hint of pine. Then a light sweety candy malt with touch of sweetness to balance. Bitterness gets fairly strong but not nearly overpowering, with a light fluffy malt feel. finish is fairly bitter, fairly dry, long lingering hop finish with more light resin, citrus, and hint of pine with even a slight spicy taste.

Mouth is med bodied but fluffy feeling, pretty good carb.

Overall really nice, not overpowering with bitterness or resin, with nice light malty balance that lets you taste the beer and doesn't get too sweet. Fairly drinkable and well done beer from pretty things.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 01:47:04 | More by jlindros

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.69/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

First had: bottle from Pin's, Media, PA

Served in a PT wine glass, of course, a clearish golden-yellow color with a foamy white head that retained as a wispy layer, and streaked the glass with lacing. In the nose, citrusy hops and toasty malts, a bit on the grainy side. More of the same in the taste, crisp citrus and herbal hops, fairly bitter, pale malts and toasted grains. Nothing new here, but overall it's a solid IPA. Medium body and easily drinkable for the style, if a little more on the bitter side.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 01:37:38 | More by Rifugium

mactrail

California

3.48/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Attractive amber gold color in the Crooked Line narrow tulip. It has a perky head and sudsy appeal in the glass. The Citra and Galaxy hops jump right on with the first sip. Flowery hops in the nose with a little butter.

Pronounced orange peel flavor that changes into grapefruit for the aftertaste. Bright and sharp and seriously hoppy. Pretty well blasted with bitterness and saturated in hop oils. A little sweetness emerges now and then. Not much flavor between the extremes of sweet and bitter. Make that candied grapefruit peel.

Of all the interesting brews that these guys make, why do they have to prove they can concoct yet another over-hopped IPA just like the big boys? Tiresome after some sipping, but quite well made for the hop fiend. From the 22 oz bottle bought at Bine & Vine in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 06:02:59 | More by mactrail

Brent

Kentucky

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

While I liked this, it made less of an impression on me than it has on others. Deep caramel pour with a firm head. A bit of toastyness in the malt with a consistent hops current, a touch fruity with some herbal leanings. ABV was well integrated in the flavor profile, with no heat or pepper. Finish was clean with the fruity nature echoing.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 20:56:16 | More by Brent

alexgash

Connecticut

4.4/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bottle.

Golden orange body. Clear and clean. Finger and a half of frothy, creamy, off-white head. Great lacing. Spicy, herbal, dank, slightly pungent hop nose. Light butterscotch and candied malt underneath.

Spicy, herbal hop bitterness up front. Some toasted malt notes. Fruity (tropical), sugary malt base fills in. Pineapple, mango, and citrus hop notes into the finish. The hops in this beer are delicious, juicy, and fresh. Only moderately bitter, but the finish does dry out a bit. Lingering fruit, bitterness, and a hint of butterscotch. Medium-bodied, with a creamy feel. Very good!

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 00:30:04 | More by alexgash

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.68/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz. bottle served in my SA Perfect Pint. Bottled in July 2012 indicated on the back label. Pours a translucent golden-orange with a half inch, fluffy, bright white head. A cascade of tiny bubbles effervesces from the nucleation point to the underside of the cap. Head eventually settles into a creamy and consistent 1/8th inch skim with delicate webs of lacing revealed during the tasting. Nose expresses citrus, a kiss of rind and an earthy, slightly oniony character. Taste consistent with nose - less oniony in the flavor profile than in the nose; however, there's a slightly medicinal character towards the middle and an earthy bitterness that lingers between quaffs. I also get a suggestion of caramel malt, but it is not overly pronounced. Mouthfeel is light-medium with an assertive carbonation, a slightly oily texture and an acidity that stimulates the sides of the cheeks and leaves a residual burn on the tongue. Overall, a very good IPA, but I'm not sure it merits the hype (then again, I prefer the more tropical fruited side of the style). Nonetheless another very solid offering from Pretty Things. These guys don't make a bad beer and it's well worth your time if the opportunity presents itself.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 23:12:08 | More by Jwale73

Gmann

New York

4.03/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear golden straw color with a honey hue. The pure white head is thick and slowly settles into a chunk ring with some lacing on the glass.

The aroma is all hops and of good strength. Grapefruit rind and pine gets things going followed by some tropical fruit notes and resin. Nice juicy hop oil aroma.

The hops are not as strong in the flavor and more of the malt comes through. The malt base is bready and sweet with some honey notes. The hops are flavorful and bitter. Some grapefruit and a good amount of pine. Subtle tropical fruit mid way through and finishes with a strong grassy hop presence.

Moderate feel with tingly carbonation. Starts sweet and is balanced with some hop bitterness. Then comes the finish in which the bitterness really comes through. A bit dry and chalky and lingers a tad too long but it helps from the malt from being too sweet.

A very nice AIPA which borders on a DIPA. Nice hop profile though the tropical fruit notes come through more as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 00:04:07 | More by Gmann

Durge

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A clear amber color with a steady pipeline of carbonation and a big white head with great retention, major chunks of lace. The aroma is pungent but delicate with passion fruit mango and lemony edges. Very nice but not too heavy. There's some biscuit to boot. The flavor is a unique floral - citrus marriage with mango and some grassy bite. Lots of soft tropical tastiness with plenty of hop love. Medium bodied with a crispy feel. Beautiful.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 04:24:13 | More by Durge

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a hazy golden-orange with a finger of frothy white head atop. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of grapefruit, orange, citrus, and a bit of pine hops with some sweet caramel and biscuit malts.

T - Starts off with a mix of grapefruit, orange, pineapple, and citrus hops with some bitterness and some sweet caramel malts. Through the middle, some grassy and pine hops come through with some more resiny bitterness and some biscuit malts. The finish is a mix of grapefruit, pine, and grassy hops, bitterness, and sweet bready malts.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a dry and bitter finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice hoppy IPA with a good hop profile and bitterness throughout and good overall balance.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 04:22:45 | More by ngeunit1

oline73

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this at our first Baltimore BA tasting. Poured from the bottle into a tasting snifter.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden amber color with a layer of off white head that fades to a ring on top of the pour.

Smell: Citrus hops up front with just enough malt sweetness and grain to balance it.

Taste: The malt it really nice and crisp. Citrus peel hops build throughout each sip. The finish is crisp and quite bitter. This is a nice one.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: This is a nice easy drinking IPA. I really enjoyed the light malt with the hop bitterness. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 23:37:27 | More by oline73

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle opened on 9.9.12.

A - Pours a slightly hazy medium orange with a three inch off-white big bubbled head with good retention.

S - Subtle citrus, floral and grass.

T - Sharp orange peel, bitter grass.

D - Tons of carbonation with a medium body. Bitter finish.

O - Hoppy and bitter. Smells soft, but the taste is pretty harsh.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 05:43:26 | More by HuskyinPDX

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a bottle of this at Julios. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a nice crystal clear light honey hue with a big, fluffy two finger head that fades to leave a nice, thick foamy creamy blanket. Very nice.

S - Nice firm tropical hop qualities here, light mango and pineapple with good fresh hops. Quite juicy here, very nice and inviting. Some light malt sweetness on the back end.

T - Taste is solid, good piney, tropical notes here. The pineapple isnt quite as prominant, slightly dank hops here. There is some nice malty sweetness but it does not detract from the good bitter pine finish.

M - Mouthfeel is great for an IPA, nice and crisp and clean, good bitter hop finish with solid juicy hops to start. Very nice.

O - Overall I felt this was a great offering from Pretty Things. This is a solid, fresh IPA with really good juicy tropical notes with a nice malty pine backing. Very tasty. Plus, hell of an appearance.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 02:41:41 | More by rudzud

cosmicevan

New York

4.2/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

picked this one up earlier today. bottled in july. enjoyed from my pretty things wine glass.

a - brew poured a semi transparent ruby orange with a finger's worth of foamy ipa head that left streaky yet chunky lacing on the glass.

s - really nice floral hops with a medley of tropical fruit. citra and galaxy, really...how can you go wrong? gooey mango candy with resiny pine. VERY fruity.

t - the pine is way more pronounced in the flavor than the fruitiness, but the fruitiness is still there. the hopping is heavy on the bitterness as opposed to the citric blast.

m - big bitter blast. medium bodied and full flavored.

o - overall pretty things is a bit hit or miss for me, but this one is a hit. i said it before, and i'll say it again...how can you really go wrong with citra and galaxy? this is a very good beer. i'm rather impressed with this. you hear good things about most pretty things beers, but there are only a few standouts in my mind. i'd add this to the list of standouts.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 00:57:47 | More by cosmicevan

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark honey color with a thick, sticky head. Lacey swass trail left drown down my glass by enduring retention.

Explosive citrus aroma. Dank and intoxicating orange, tangerine, nectarine and all other citrus 'ines. Sweet candy malt underneath.

Dank, resin soaked tangerine over sweet poundcake malt. I think that's the second time I've used dank in this review but it's appropriate and complimentary when used to describe an IPA methinks.

Not only an American IPA but a great IPA. Odd that the best beer (IMO) that this Englishman brews is an American IPA. Or maybe that's just the American meathead in me.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 23:03:49 | More by donkeyrunner

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

$8.25 bomber from Abe's.

Sparkling yellow gold, a trifle hazy, alive with carbonation, topped by four fingers plus of snow white fluff. Great stretchy lace. This is a good looking beer.

Big citrus nose, plenty of grapefruit, orange, lemon. Some earthy notes around the edges.

A quick slap of malty sweetness, then it's on to a blast of sweetness of the fruity variety. Extreme juiciness abounds. Just a nip of bitter at the swallow. Hoppy tingle mixes with the fruitiness in the afterglow.

Medium mouthfeel leans a bit towards light in a good refreshing way, but still feels solid.

A very nice and distinctive IPA, more American than I expected, and as good as I expected, maybe even better. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 03:41:15 | More by RonfromJersey

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.8/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a tulip glass. Bottled July 2012.

A: Two fingers of white head with fantastic retention. Great lacing. Hazy gold is barely translucent.

S: Straightforward hops. Nice bitterness and light citrus. Quintessential IPA.

TM/O: Meh, underwhelming. Balanced, lightly malty, lightly hopped. Hops are vegetal, but not spicy. Robust and thick, it's easy drinking and very enjoyable. Recommended, I guess, but generally not impressive. Would have another, but not for $7.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 04:47:37 | More by AgentMunky

NEhophead

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 fl oz brown bottle served in a nonic.

Pale copper in color with straw and golden highlights. Bright white, dense foam of a head that plasters the nonic's sides.

Semi-sweet toasted malt; light diacetyl and mild caramel. Oily hop aromas, but not over the top; primarily melon and lime.

Fresh, sweet tropical fruit that is met by a fresh burst of pine, but it is the honeydew, lime, and cantaloupe that dominate. The semi-sweet toasted malt lends the perfect balance to the fresh, nearly intense tropical fruit hop flavors. The bitterness is strong, yet the ripe fruit cuts it a bit short. Sharp pine and citrus fill the aftertaste.

A shade more than medium bodied. Remarkably smooth and, as odd as it sounds for the style, even creamy on the palate.

Wow, what a fresh-tasting well balanced, tropical fruit-filled IPA. If this truly is Dan and Martha's first 'American' style, let's hope that there are many more to come.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 00:44:50 | More by NEhophead

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a dull golden color. Body is transparent. Head is stellar. Head is bleach white and about two fingers high. Head retains very well and is frothy. Great lacing rings.

S-Just smelling it from the bottle, this brew is all hops. However after the pour I am getting a big caramel and sweet bread malt presence. Candied apricot hops. Perhaps maltier than hoppy in the nose. I trust Pretty Things and am not worried by its excessive balance (oxymoron?).

T-An interesting IPA. The malt is quite complex. Caramel drizzled pound cake. Hops are spicy. Hops are also candied oranges and apricots with a medicinal/herbal twinge. A bit too perfumey for my taste. The finish is noticeably piney and grassy. This is very well balanced and complex but not overly hop-stressed.

M-Creamy and sticky/resiny. Body is pretty round and full. Finishes with lasting pine bitterness. A bit chewy.

O/D-Unfortunately this let me down a bit. It stresses balance, and I should have expected that but it does not have that all-too-familiar likeability I found with most Pretty Things brews. It is still very tasty but I would say this leans more toward the English take on the IPA than the American. I was expecting 'great' but wound up with 'pretty good' and thats oaky, given this breweries stellar record.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 21:23:38 | More by VelvetExtract

aasher

Indiana

4.28/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This just arrived in Indianapolis within the last week.

This beer pours a light bodied amd very clear bright copper in color with a one finger, creamy off white head. The nose is very vibrant, clean, and fresh. It's lightly floral, has a subtly sweet malt backbone, some light grassiness, and light pine. The flavors too are both fresh and very clean. The body on this is perfect for drinkability. The flavors are clean citrus, slightly piney, grassy hops, a touch of sweet caramel malt, and a slightly dry finish. All in all, a nice array of flavors and very well balanced. The mouthfeel and aftertaste (a nice mix of citrusy and piny hops) are spot on. It makes you come back for more. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I didn't quite know what to expect but this was another very nice offering by Pretty Things. I highly recommend it. I wish it came in six packs!

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 03:46:39 | More by aasher

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

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

22oz bottle poured into a snifter

The body is an orange color with an unfiltered look. The cap rises a good two fingers and settles slowly, leaving some spider web lacing in it's wake. Some small bubbles of carbonation find their way through the liquid to the top. The nose is of semi-sweet toasted malt, flowers, apricot, mango, earthy breadiness, and pine cones. A bit all over the place, but focusing on the citrus hops primarily. Lightly sweet bready malt hits me first, before a rush of earthy, piney hops. The finish is mainly tropical fruit. Mangoes and white grapefruit with a bit of apricot give this a mildly bitter finish. Pretty solid balance; good hop profile with clean, bready malt underneath. Medium body, mildly bitter finish with some fruit sweetness to help balance. I really wish I could have tried this fresher, because I think I really would have liked it. As it was, the hops were slightly faded, but this was still a pretty tasty beer. I will seek this out next time it comes around.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 18:13:16 | More by ColForbinBC

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22-oz. bomber into a Revolution Brewing imperial pint glass.

A: Poured a clean, bright copper color with a slightly chilled haze and two-finger head of off-white foam that left great sheets of lacing. Carbonation and head retention were both excellent.

S: Very nice combination of sweet, citrusy and spicy hop resins and a hint of catty lemon and spices throw into the mix.

T: Sweet, mild, caramel malts hit the palate first before trending towards a lightly toasted sweet bread flavor. This rushes together with a juicy, fresh citrus flavor with hints of guava, grapefruit and orange peel. The bitterness grips the palate and dries things up towards a bittersweet and malty finish. Excellent balance with loads of fresh hop and juicy malt flavor.

M: A medium-full bodied IPA with a hint of yeasty and protein chew as well as a juicy, fresh and bitter pull from hop resins.

O: This is a truly excellent American IPA with loads of hop and juicy malt character maximized in a very drinkable 7% ABV package. Somewhere between a DIPA and standard IPA, this strong, hoppy ale was very satisfying and dangerously drinkable. I'd be running out to get more if I didn't have to run to MA to find it.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 20:36:25 | More by Gambrinus1184

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.93/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Eric for this one. 22oz. bomber into a Sam Adams sensory glass. Bottling date of July 2012.

Heavy pour yields a 2 finger frothy, foamy white head with great retention. Beer is clear goldenrod. Lacing is thick and patchy with excellent stick. An all-around great looking beer.

Nose is citrus, papaya, cane sugar, and a dank hoppiness. Decent.

Citrus hop bitterness. Piny in parts. Some cane sugar hidden in the background. Tree sap. Finishes sap hoppiness with some tropical fruit mixed in. Bitter aftertaste. Very solid.

Light bodied with moderate carbonation. Refreshing, crisp, and abrasive in the mouth and sticky going down. Accented finish with a long, lingering aftertaste. Drinkable.

This is one of the better east coast IPAs I've come across and one that I'm glad is available locally. A very solid offering from a still rather under-the-radar brewery.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 23:21:01 | More by SpeedwayJim