Simcoe IPA - Sly Fox Brewing Company

dmarch

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

These single hop IPA's have an obvious problem. The character of the hop is the only hop character these beers would have. For this one, It was nothing but a woody aroma and taste. Simcoe doesn't seem like a hop that would easily stand alone as the Target did. Fortunately, I like woody hops. This beer also uses the right abount of hops. It still retains a bit of the malty caramel flavor. Kudos to Mr. O' Reilly for not only using a single hop, but for figuring out the proper way to use it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2004 03:42:23 | More by dmarch

jfcaa193

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

02-19-2012 02:12:44 | More by jfcaa193

Gavage

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at High Street grill in Mt. Holly NJ during Sly Fox promo night. One of Sly Fox 2006 IPA Project beers.

Appearance: lovely dark orange color with a nice 1" head that slowly fell to a spotty surface foam. Spots of lacing developed.

Smell: loads of orange citrus and pine bitterness.

Taste: caramel, grapefruits, oranges, and loads of piney and earthy bitterness. Dryness abounds. Alcohol well hidden.

Mouthfeel: lightly crisp at the start, smoother towards the finish. The finish is quite dry too. Medium bodied.

Drinkability: superb as I am becoming a real fan of IPAs using Simcoe hops. Easy to drink, not overly abusive on the tastebuds but still packs the bitter punch a hophead likes.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2006 11:45:26 | More by Gavage

akahn

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had a pint of this excellent IPA at Collins Bar in midtown manhattan for an event welcoming Sly Fox beers to the state. Pours a fairly dark amber color. Super juicy hop aroma -- not just orange, but mandarin orange smell. The flavor provides the famous simcoe hop profile, dry, chalky aspirin, and grapefruit pith. If you like hops, you'll like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2006 16:00:11 | More by akahn

Boto

Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Draught @ Sly Fox in Phoenixville: This one pours a fairly clear, slightly orangish amber color. It had a frothy white head that leaves some lacing. The aroma is a bit light, but still inviting. Mainly piney notes, with some earthiness. The taste is more potent. A big hit of piney hops. A good malt backbone is there, but the hops are really out front in this one. Very tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2006 20:38:08 | More by Boto

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to egajdzis, who currently has this on draft at his house...
Appears a transparent, dark amber with a small off white head that slowly fades out. Spotty lacing is left around the glass.
Smell is of heavy citrus, grapefruit, tangerines, wood like tannins & spice from the pungent, high alpha acid hop.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with pure hoppiness coming through in an enticing, sugary grapefruit blend.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, bitter, and dry. My only problem with that it could've finished a little bit better but this hop is pretty intense with it's spicy, insanely citrusy, and wood notes.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2006 16:33:57 | More by weeare138

DarkerTheBetter

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer came a brightly glowing caramel and amber color that was pleasantly foggy with only wisps of head.

Smells of light and woody grass and a light caramel and flour malt. There’s also a hidden dryness that’s trying to make its way out from behind a sweet nectarine and pineapple.

Tastes of sweet apples, nectarines and pineapple with a slight smooth woody malt that has a slight strawberry sweetness. A fantastic dryness comes through, especially in the finish.

The mouth feel was light to medium bodied, with a smooth and creamy texture.

Nice! I really liked the fruity elements in this one and how they paired with the dryness. A superb candidate for the cask!

Serving type: cask

08-23-2006 22:14:43 | More by DarkerTheBetter

francisweizen

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A nice light orange/amber colour mostly clear with a nice white collar of thick foam. Lacing is decent as well. This is one of the best, if not the best IPA brewed for the 2004 project, IMVHO. The aromas are all over the top, in your face simcoes. Piney, with grapefruit raisins galore, and alpha acids dripping all over the place. The malt backbone that is much more "out and about" in the more UK hopped IPA's is barely noticeable in this rendition with it's mad mad assault of hops. Truly a wonderfully hoppy, dry and bitter IPA that one will either love or hate. Mouthfeel and drinkability seem better than for some of the others as well, with a very creamy and thicker mouthfeel and an awesome drinkability. Killer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2005 20:20:38 | More by francisweizen

necoadam

Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours out a wonderful amber/copper/orange color with a thin lacing of head. Smell consisted of hops mostly (really juiced up) with some citrus notes and other fruity notes. Taste was very good. A rush of hops hit the palate along with some caramel for a balancing effect, a bit grassy as well, woody at times, with some citrus juices coming along at the tail end. Mouthfeel could of have some more carbonation, but this was from a growler and was damn near perfect almost. Truly a one of a kind IPA.

Big, huge thanks go out to PisskyNights for sending me this growler my way!

Serving type: growler

08-23-2004 01:09:01 | More by necoadam

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler

A dark copper body, packs of bubbles clinging to the glass, topped by two inches of loose china-white foam, which folds into a tighter table top. Good lacing immediately evident.

Aroma is like inverted Cascades, piney with a hint of citrus. Strong, raw, aggressive.

A hefty dry caramel malt body kicks in the door, like swallowing a Werthers instead of letting it melt on your tongue. It's there, but doesn't overstay its welcome. A pleasant surprise that it makes such a strong impression. This is not a one dimensional hop juice cocktail. The hops rush in next: resiney, piney, raw, maybe a bit earthy. The linger and dry as the beer fades down the throat.

Mouthfeel is full, initially a tad thick, but dries out well.

Drinkability? Maybe not a full night session beer, not quite polished enough for that, but wonderful as either a kickoff or nightcap.

A nice assertive IPA, with a bit of "greenness" to it. Another success for the "IPA Project". I've greatly enjoyed the three varieties I've sampled so far.

Serving type: growler

08-21-2004 04:53:36 | More by RonfromJersey

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This single hop IPA is a damn near perfect pour from me German flip-top growler. Deep, clear ruby orange hued pour with plenty of sticky head that dissapates to a coating.

I would wear these scents from a necklace if I could. Just a punch to the nose of heavy, syrupy piney resins. Goodness simcoe is delicious. Reminds me of Troegs Nugget Nectar in the aroma department.

First swigs are of rich sizzling acidic piney, grassy, hops. A total burst of tough hops that just won't quit. This is a top notch American IPA that has a ton of kick in the aroma and taste. Illimitable aftertaste of syrupy tangy orange juice concentrate. To say that this is wood-like, is to say that Madonna is no longer a virgin. Did I bite into a pine tree?

Neverending lingering hops spices and syrupy feel. Something this specialized is hard to say how drinkable it is.

Last swigs: Tons of BIG hop punch in every sense of the word. This is amazing. I have never had the unique experience to try single simcoe IPA. Just an over all awesome awesome ( I meant to write it twice) IPA. Like a field goal thru the uprights, "It's GOOOD!!!!" Some Coors light imbibing friends over the weekend had a sip and almost died. Now, this is a truly acquired IPA!

Beer is good. Happy local beering.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2004 05:55:04 | More by blitheringidiot

rdrummer

New Jersey

4.83/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is another in the series of single-hopped IPAs that Sly Fox is releasing, leading up to its anniversary celebration in December, when it will release its double IPA.'

The beer is one of the best if not the best so far. It pours an amber, frothy color with nice carbonation, a huge head, and a large amount of lacing. The aroma is ambrosia to a hop junkie. It is pure hops with just a trace of malt and fruit in the mix. It is a truly stunning smell only beaten by the taste.

This is hoppy to the max, yet it is not a bitter concoction like some of the hoppy beers. This is smooth and has some sweetness to it, maybe a sweet fruit.

It is a dry beer feel in the mouth but it is crisp and clean. This is a beer that I would like to drink forever. I could easily make this my one and only beer. (Well, not really, but I could drink it daily.)

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2004 23:36:20 | More by rdrummer

pezoids

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is another ultra bitter IPA from Sly Fox. Poured a deep amber color and was topped off with a thin head of foam. I think I like Simcoe when used as an aromatic better than a bittering. Floral and spicy aroma gets overpowered by a strong citric lemon quality that engulfs the entire mouth after a few sips. This beer takes Simcoe to edge of that bitter hop envelope. There’s a hidden body of malt sweetness in there, but I had trouble detecting it. A bit unbalanced, but you know what? I enjoyed it anyways.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2004 15:12:25 | More by pezoids

bmills1608

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear bright copper color, off white foamy head, pinky thick with a slight green tinge to the color. You can tell right away this is a big hoppy boy. Aroma was thick prickly hops. Explosively fresh, with lots of citrus and pine. Detected on the nose was some sweet malt hidden somewhat behind the smoke screen of fresh hop.

Taste was really nice. Full and flavorful malt base, rather thick with layers of fresh hop flavors piled on top. The simcoe hop, while displaying that very American hop "citrus punch" characteristic was also pretty heavy handed in the pine department. Very resin-y. Through out the tasting stood tall what always strikes me as an almost candied malt character that many of Fox's brews seem to have. I have detected it in the ESB, Robbie burns as well as several of the anniversary IPA's. It is tough for me to describe exactly, but it reminds me of the flavor you get from some of that old fashioned hard candy. Really nice.

Mouthfeel was nice and slick, at 7%, carbonation right on the money. Overall a very hop complex beer that was very well balanced and like all the IPA's thus far, very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2004 13:34:46 | More by bmills1608