Stumpknocker Pale Ale - Swamp Head Brewery & Tasting Room

babaracas

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy amber with one finger thick dense white head. Chunky rings of lace halfway down the glass. Smell: tropical fruit juice blend, mild sweet caramel, a solid hit of grapefruit rind with a little pine in the back. Taste: salted cracker + a small dose of sweet caramel, grapefruit rind, herbal bitterness, sugared mango. Lightly prickly carbonation and an overall fluffy feel. Does a lot with its 35 ibus. Very enjoyable hopping that mixes with a light sweet caramel and tropical fruit sweetness. A really nice pale ale.

Serving type: growler

04-21-2011 05:06:16 | More by babaracas

ktrillionaire

Florida

2.58/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - It pours a copper-amber hue, and is capped with an inch of off-white head, with little retention or lace.

S - The nose is flat-out unimpressive. The malt is too heavy in caramel and the brew seems to have a metallic overtone. Hops are not specifically dynamic in the aroma.

T - The flavor carries over the themes of the nose; pretty unremarkable stuff here. I'd like to like it, but what's to like? The malt is cheap tasting, metallic and caramelized, there are hints of diacetyl, and the hop presence is totally uninspiring.

M - Normal feel, maybe even a tad drab.

O - I do not see a purpose for this brew's existence.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2011 03:14:30 | More by ktrillionaire

theboozecruise

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at The Swamp in Gainesville.

Copper color, creamy white head with good lacing.

Floral aroma, a little fruit in there as well. Hoppy for an APA.

The taste is similar, definitely hop dominated and not much of a malt presence. Pretty good!

Creamy, slight bitter aftertaste. Easy to drink. Good brew!

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2011 20:45:36 | More by theboozecruise

CampusCrew

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance: golden with a solid head retention

smell: very bold and assertive hop presence. pine and citrus

taste: nicely balanced pale ale

mouthfeel: medium bodied

drinkability: I tried this at the kickbacks Swamphead dinner among many others. This brewery in new and going in the right direction. Solid beer from a solid brewery. I would love to have this again.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2011 22:59:27 | More by CampusCrew

unclejimbay

Florida

4.85/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Served on tap @ Kickbacks
Appearance was golden copper with fluffy head and enduring lace.
Bold aromas of hop citrus, impressive aroma of distinct Amarillo hops as confirmed by the owner.
Tastes as it smells with a bold Citrus hop flavors and a solid malt/caramel backbone. Sweet support to the bold citrus hop flavors. Right on IMHO!
Mouthfeel was medium-full for an APA, appropraitte carbonation.
I very much enjoyed this brew. It was a standout offering in my opinion, a stellar showcase of the Amarillo hop!

Additional info;
I attended a Swamphead Beer dinner at Kickbacks here in Jacksonville Florida 12/13/2010. The lineup overall impressed me, brews were appropriatte to style and well done across the board. I most notably enjoyed the Hoe Hoe Hoe Wit, Tupelo Cream Ale, Stumpknocker APA, and 10-10-10 Whiskey Barrel Aged as standouts for the evening. Overall a very talented brewery across the entire lineup. I had chance to meet Luke the owner who was a great guy, and Craig the brewer who was passionate and open to share his processes. Both were knowlegdable and I am very excited about this new Florida Brewery.

Here is are most of the Swamphead brews that were offered at the dinner;
Hoe Hoe Hoe Winter Seasonal - a Belgian style specialty ale with cranberries, ginger and orange blossom honey
Wild Night Tupelo Honey Cream Ale
Cottonmouth Belgian Style Wheatbier
Stumpknocker American Pale Ale
Big Nose IPA
Saison du Swamp - Florida Style Saison with rye
10-10-10 Imperial IPA
10-10-10 Imperial IPA aged in Palm Ridge Whiskey barrels
Midnight Oil Oatmeal Stout with locally roasted organic fair trade coffee
Alderwood Smoked Porter
Chipotle Smoked Porter
Stumpknocker infused with Chipotle peppers
Catherine's Inspiration - Russian Imperial Stout
Catherine's Passion - Russian Imperial Stout infused with organic cocoa nibs and Midnight Oil coffee

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2010 16:05:58 | More by unclejimbay

cjgator3

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Redlight Redlight in Orlando, FL.

A- Pours an Amber color with a nice off-white head with good retention and lacing.

S- The aroma is sweet malt and a good dose of citrusy hops (most notably grapefruit).

T- The taste like the aroma is some sweet malt up front with a good amount of citrusy grapefruit bitterness in the finish.

M- The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

D- Overall, this is a solid pale ale. It's great seeing another great brewery open up in Florida. I look forward to trying more beers from Swamphead in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

08-18-2010 23:36:38 | More by cjgator3

aepb1

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Light brown/amber, very little white head

S- Citrusy (grapefruit?) and very bright for an APA

T- Citrus up front here too that turns to some bready malts and then the hop finish -- not too different from most APAs other than the nice twist of big citrus

M- Light/medium bodied, good carbonation

D- The citrus make it great to turn to when in the mood for an APA

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2010 00:21:19 | More by aepb1

mullenite

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear honey/amber in color with a nice white head. Very nice lacing left on the glass.

Smell has a lot of grapefruit, some orange rind and a tiny bit of breadiness hanging out in the background (but letting the hops shine.)

Taste is similar to the smell, lots of American, citrus forward, hops with a small amount of bready malt character coming through in the background. No esthers or phenolics.

Body is on the thinner side of medium but still medium bodies with a really nice carbonation.

Overall, this is one of my favorite pale ales. It's like a light IPA. Very easy to drink and very refreshing.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2010 04:55:04 | More by mullenite

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to BHalter8 for bringing a mini growler of this to our little tasting the other night. Really enjoyed with the beer and agreed with the comment that it drinks more like an IPA.

Beer appeared to be unfiltered and was a hazy brown/amber color. Nice foamy/creamy light beige head formed and then proceeded to leave a nice amount of lacing.

Aroma was bright/fresh and floral. Lots of citrus notes. First hint that this was a bit bolder vs. a standard APA. (Not a bad comment)

Excellent balance here which perhaps is the characteristic that keeps this in the APA category. Again, this drinks like a fresh/bright beer. Bready malt notes balanced with a nice citrus, fruity flavor. You do taste the yeast in the background which worked nicely with the bread flavors.

Medium Light body, very mild carbonation.

Excellent APA.... Really enjoyed having this one and will seek it again, when/if I have the opportunity.

Thanks Ben!

Serving type: growler

06-13-2010 17:19:52 | More by Reagan1984

drabmuh

Maryland

4.47/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer is mostly clear, there may be a slight haze but its hard to tell, and amber in color. Carbonation is low and the head is broken and made up of a microscopic thin layer of tiny white bubbles that congregate at the edge of the glass. There is some but not a lot of lacing on the glass as I drink. More than other beers I've had from Swamphead but not much overall. It looks like a decent APA.

The aroma is great. Mild citrus hops and slight malt character. Really inviting, smells like an APA should smell.

Beer is medium to full bodied, really nice body, great hop flavor and a lingering bitterness in the back of the mouth. This is definitely an American Pale ale and not an American IPA. Drinkability is high, the hop bitterness is not in your face overwhelming, it is definitely present but connected nicely with the citrus hop flavors in the mid-palate and a subtle malt character at the front. The beer finishes nicely, leaving some bitter flavors in the back of the mouth but without a strong aftertaste that would otherwise render the beer less than. I'm going to hazard a guess that the dominant hop in this beer is a cascade or a close relative. Its too weak to be an amarillo or something of that and not piney enough to be a chinook. Carbonation level is appropriate for this style as the carbonation on the tongue plays an important role in connectivity of the flavors and to accent the sweetness of the beer.

A superb beer, the best beer I've had from this brewery yet (although I didn't get to try the stout).

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2009 15:27:31 | More by drabmuh