Four In Hand IPA - World Brews

Crossmd

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Sam Adams tulip pilsner. Probably 40 degrees fahrenheit.

Pours an amber copper with an off white one finger head. Tight lacing around the inside of the glass. Definitely pretty.

Smells of some dried overripe fruit, with some breads, maybe just a hint of vanilla.

There's an attack in the mouth of a hop bitterness that rides all the way through into a 30 second finish. There are some slight cream malts in the middle, but they're generally over powered. This is not really a subtle beer.

Mouthfeel is sturdy with a nice balance of texture and effervescence. Especially at this price point. Wish that it had a little bit more backbone for what it's trying to accomplish though.

Not an exceptional beer, but a good amount of flavor - even if it's not the most elegant or cohesive beer in the world. At $7 a 6, this is a steal.

88.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 17:42:15 | More by Crossmd

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.63/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a pilsner glass. Stamped '1311 08:19 7E'.

A: The label is excellently appealing, one of the main reasons I bought the beer. The other is that it's labelled 'crafty ale'. Pours with significant head that has moderate retention, leaving behind excellent lacing. The beer is clear, pale copper. Nice.

S: Very good. A nice combination of sweet, fruity malts and dry hops.

T: Interesting IPA. Initially it's really nice, excellent even. Biscuity-dry malts, moderate hops, a tad of fruit? But it's downhill from there. The maintaste is so brief as to be almost nonexistent, and the aftertaste, while nice, is rather plain, vaguely hopped, and grainy-beery-mehish.

M: Carbonated, foamy, pretty substantial, and rather dry.

O: Not bad, but not exceptional. Highly drinkable, especially for the price ($6.99/six-pack) and gorgeous label-art. I wouldn't recommend it, per se, but I'd have another or buy it for parties.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 04:21:13 | More by AgentMunky

avaldivia

California

2.33/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from bottle into a Pint Glass.

A: Fairly clear golden color. good size head and decent lacing.

S: Some citrus and malts. Nothing really popping out or discernible.

T: Tastes like a weak East Coast IPA. Watery, not nearly enough hop presence. No real flavors coming out.

M: Light and crisp. Good carbonation.

O: Drain poured after consuming about half the bottle. I just was not a fan. I will say that as far as the Whole Foods exclusive brands go, this was the most palatable. It is in no way good, but better than the rest.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 15:34:37 | More by avaldivia

litheum94

California

3.13/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle. No dates on the label. Reviewed 7/24/11.

P: Bright and clear amber body. A rocky, off-white head that settles slowly, leaving a nice looking covering. Decent lacing.

A: Aromas of citrus (tangerine), pine and pineapple. Caramel malts and some brown sugar. Herbal, black tea aromas.

T: Very herbal at first, with flavors of black tea. Biscuit malts build the backbone. Slightly bitter citric twinge. A little bit of pine bitterness. Nice balance.

There's not too much depth here, but it is a slightly above average IPA, and for the price, it's one I'll pick up occasionally.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 03:51:51 | More by litheum94

popery

California

2.15/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bottle. Rated with style in mind. This is among the worst IPAs that I’ve ever had. There’s little hop presence, besides a touch of bland bitterness in the finish and a hint of pine/citrus in the aroma. Otherwise, the aroma is old grain, simple sugar and a funny vegetal note, and it’s all quite weak. The taste is sweet and musty with a finish that’s kinda cloying with a slight bitter edge. Mouthfeel is sudsy and fine. Likewise, appearance is a standard orange-amber, transparent, with a white head. It just tastes cheap and crappy. It’s certainly not the worst beer in the world, but I would recommend spending a couple extra bucks on a good six pack and definitely don’t expect an IPA, if you do buy it.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 02:48:16 | More by popery

shand

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

This is a Whole Foods exclusive label, and available fairly cheaply (I think the single was a buck fidy). This one sure looks like an IPA, pouring a nice copper color with a huge head that leaves nice sheets of sticky lacing on the side of the glass. Aroma is a bit muted, but otherwise a solid citrus and pine deal, with some caramel malts. The IPA basics, if you will. The taste also basically follows the IPA basics, there's some nice citrus up front followed by big piney hops and big caramel malts. there's a little bit of an off flavor here too unfortunately, which is a shame because this'd actually be great otherwise. But, it's still solid enough, especially considering the price.

The mouthfeel is a bit too thin, and a bit too smooth to really give me that iPA feeling. The drinkability is fairly good. Overall, this is a perfectly passable IPA that's really bordering on good, but doesn't quite make it. Either way, it'd probably be a decent choice for a budget brew at seven bucks a sixer.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 22:36:12 | More by shand

GDBEERMAN

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz into brew festival mug.

A: body is slightly clear, with a good level of carbonation. Off white head retreats quickly and leaves a thin layered head. Layered pattern on the lacing.

S: Bright and amber aroma, with subtle earthy notes of hops. Medium to weak aroma for style.

T/m: Mouthfeel is nice and light, with good noble flavors, the malt takes the front seat, maybe a bit of a faded hop profile. Medium intensity of flavors.

O: This is a good and drinkable beer, one that I have been enjoying the six pack and for a good price, it makes a solid session IPA. I would not see this as a winner to recommend someone to the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 18:01:27 | More by GDBEERMAN

DeltaGolfSierra

Tennessee

2.83/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The unique playing card label caught my eye, so I added it to my build-your-own 6 pack. The appearance was copper with a pale white head that disappeared about halfway through. Scents of grapefruit, pear, and caramel were pleasant but a bit weak. Malts came through in the taste much more than other IPAs - hops were very much in the background. This tasted more like a pilsner to me. Bready or biscuit flavors were most prominent, with subtle citrus flavors in support. Just a slight bitterness is noticed in the finish, but much less than other IPAs. The taste isn't bad, but seems very out of character for this style, so I'm deducting some points from the taste score. More emphasis on hops would greatly improve this beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 15:32:00 | More by DeltaGolfSierra

bierguru

Florida

2.68/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

pale golden body with a white foamy head that has great head retention

bold hop smell bidnt get much citrus or floral

taste is overly hops not much citrus taste or malt for that matter

dries the mouth out a tad

not what you would expect or want from an american ipa

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 01:34:30 | More by bierguru

gc4hokies

Virginia

3.28/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought this at Whole Foods for 6.99 for a six.

Pours a clear golden/copper color.

Smell is earthy with slight fruitiness. I didn't get any citrus or pine in this one. They use Willamette and Goldings hops in this one with CTZ and Chinook. Chinook must be a small or early addition.

Taste is not bad. Malty and biscuit flavors with a slight dry apple hint. Dry finish.

Overall, not bad but I probably won't buy it again. The character of this and the hops they used would put this in the English IPA style but it's not labeled that way. If you are a fan of English IPAs then this might be a winner for you.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 22:26:35 | More by gc4hokies

tdm168

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass

Pours a pale amber with moderate head with good retention. Nose offers floral, piney hops with a slight hint of fruit. The hops are mellow in this one but noticeable. Malt character is nicely blended with the hops. There's even a slight hint of fruit in the taste, maybe apples(?). Mouthfeel is crisp and dry, not overly carbonated. Not a bad offering considering I found it floating around on it's own at Whole Foods in Raleigh.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 00:58:33 | More by tdm168

robbrandes

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev +25.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured from 12oz bottle.

last one on the shelf at whole foods, didn't even see a shelf label. if nothing else, the ace of spades on the bottle cap is sweet!

pours faintly cloudy, reasonable head and good retention.

not much in the way of hops for an IPA, but the malt profile on the nose and palate are quite good.

i went in with marginal expectations, but this is certainly a solid, sessionable beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2011 05:56:02 | More by robbrandes

metter98

New York

3.68/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear copper in color and has a moderate to high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense beige head that died down rather quickly but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface as well as lacy patterns running down the edges of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of pine resin and spicy hops in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the hops stand out in the taste, which has a light to moderate amount of bitterness. There are some spicy flavors of hops (which particularly stand out in the finish) but there’s also a substantial amount of underlying malts that help to balance out the overall taste.
M: It feels medium-bodied, crisp and smooth on the palate with a moderate to high amount of carbonation. The hops contribute dryness to the finish.
O: The good balance in the taste of this beer makes it very drinkable, which can even be considered as sessionable. I would have no problem drinking several of these in one sitting.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 13:49:18 | More by metter98

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Four In Hand I.P.A.
12 oz. bottle; ink jet code on bottle neck: 1311 10:37 7E
"World Brews, Rochester, NY"... obviously contracted through High Falls Brewing.
$1.99 @ Whole Foods, Union Square, NY

Appearance: Clear, amber colored body beneath an average-sized head of off-white. The head retention and lacing are average.

Smell: Floral and leafy hops gather together with yeasty fruitiness (berries, juicy sweet apple) over a gently sweet and lightly-bready/caramelish malt base.

Taste: The flavor delivers a solid bitterness and more spicy, leafy, grassy, and almost piney hops. It's not as sweet as the nose suggests it will be. The maltiness is gently toasty, and it's fairly well-rounded and balanced with the yeasty fruitiness atop that, and the spicy hops floating above. It finishes dry with long lingering notes of spicy, grassy, and lightly piney hops that eventually fade to residual caramelish malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and gently crisp, becoming surprisingly creamy as it warms across the palate.

Overall: Pleasant. An interesting IPA. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 15:11:46 | More by NeroFiddled

Kyle987

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +22%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A darker, more amber/caramel color than most IPAs, but very nice. The aroma is it's most distinctive characteristic - very hoppy, but more floral than bitter. Taste is tame relative to the smell, but still has a bit of a hoppy bite, more balanced than most IPAs - which may not be what you're looking for, but still pretty dang good.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 23:50:31 | More by Kyle987

secondtooth

Indiana

3.63/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased for a value-price at Whole Foods Louisville for under $7/6 pack. Didn't expect world-class, per se, but this one's not bad.

Pours a clear copper, with a nice, thick white head. Superb lace.

Nose is citrus and pine. Solid and appealing.

Taste veers more to the bitter side, but the malts are there to back it up. Hints of pine and sour grapefruit here.

Overall, not too complex or memorable, but a good value nonetheless for sessioning.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 13:46:26 | More by secondtooth