White Sand - Strand Brewing Co.

lsummers

California

3.58/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Tonys Darts Aways 2nd Anniversary party. Poured a nice golden slightly hazy, mostly clear. Not much retention. Smell isn't that amazing and can't get too much out of it. It tastes great though, a nice floral fruity taste with a hint of herb on the aftertaste. Overall I would try this again on tap, not sure how it would hold up bottled.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2012 21:39:28 | More by lsummers

wethorseblanket

California

3.81/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

500 ml bottle purchased from refrigerated case yesterday.

A: Pours a slightly hazy dark orange with a 1" off-white head leaving clumpy semi-rings of lace.

N: Grapefruit, tropicals (pineapple, passion fruit), tangerine. Floral and fruity.

T: Malty and pine resin with some bready and minty notes. Honey and caramel.

M: Medium body and carbonation. Sticky, resiny, slightly dry and bitter finish.

O: The aroma stands out here with amarillo, cascade and summit hops. A bit too malty on the flavor for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 22:45:12 | More by wethorseblanket

kojevergas

California

3.38/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

1 pint .9 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard black unbranded pressure cap acquired at a local beer store and served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average; this brewery has underwhelmed me so far. 8.5% ABV according to my bottle. Unfiltered. Label is black and white; pretty generic.

Served cold, straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a three finger khaki colour head. It's quite creamy - that's appealing. Nice frothy soft looking texture. Good thickness and retention (~6 minutes). Body colour is a rather pale amber-copper; there are definite amber hues there. A bit darker than most IPAs, but nevertheless appealing. Fairly vibrant. Translucent/transparent. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Looking pretty decent so far. Lacing is thin, uneven, and scattershot.

Sm: Noticeable hop bitterness; I'm concerned about the balance already. Nice biting grapefruit citrus ester hop character. Pale malts. Floral hop character. Hints of vague soapiness; maybe this spent a biteen too long in primary. Light herbal character. Honey/nectar. No yeast or alcohol comes through. Lightly grainy and bready. It's a good aroma for the style, but it's not without its flaws. I'm hoping the balance of the flavours is better than that of the aromas. A mild strength aroma.

T: It's got a supportive pale, caramel, and light biscuit malt foundation. Not too malty and sweet, but it may be too full-bodied for its comparative lack of diverse and/or deep hop character; I get floral hops, light vague grapefruit with a bit of bite, and light nectary hop character. A honey note and some graininess fills out the remainder of the narrow flavour. Decent amplitude; the flavours are fairly cohesive. Hop bitterness is better hidden than the aroma indicated. I do get some alcohol in the stomach; it's not a pleasant warmth - more a lightly burning heat. Or maybe I'm just developing gastritis... Balance is decent but nothing to write home about. The hops are indistinct; I'm not impressed with their choices there. The nectar and honey notes are a highlight, but little stands out otherwise. It's kind of cookie cutter for an Imperial IPA. Luckily, no yeasty notes come through.

Mf: Smooth and wet. If not for the noticeable alcohol, it'd be refreshing. Good carbonation - if a just a touch too high. Complements the flavour profile well. Pleasant and approachable. Pretty good presence on the palate. I'd like it to be more oily than it is. Good body. Decent thickness; it thins a bit too much just before the climax.

Dr: Quite drinkable for the highish ABV. I do like it, I just need more to stand out - especially at this price tag. It's probably the best beer I've had from Strand so far, but that isn't saying much. I wouldn't get it again unless it was on-draught at a much better price point, but it's raising my regard for Strand - and I'm open to trying more of their beers. In a market littered with superior offerings at a lower price, this one deserves to get lost in the mix.

B-

Serve cold.

Drinks well from a pint glass.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 04:51:20 | More by kojevergas

ste5venla

California

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

11-28-2012 23:02:28 | More by ste5venla

Jaacob

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

05-09-2012 07:53:45 | More by Jaacob

drewone

California

4.5/5  rDev +19%

05-06-2012 02:16:39 | More by drewone

UCLABrewN84

California

3.45/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap for the 2nd Anniversary event at Tony's Darts Away in Burbank, CA.

Pours a slightly murky orange with a foamy tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, herbal hops, and a slight funky aroma for some reason. Taste is of malt, honey, and some herbal/medicinal hop flavors. There is a medium amount of bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good DIPA but the funky aroma I am picking up in the smell is a bit off putting.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2012 05:58:56 | More by UCLABrewN84