Anti-Hero - Revolution Brewing Company - Brewpub

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on cask at Revolution in a pint glass.

Appearance: This has a starkly different appearance from the regular version (served side by side). This has a clear copper color with a perfect natural creamy foam head 2 inches high.

Smell: Caramel, soft brown sugar, and a light orange and citrus hoppiness. This aroma is nice, pleasant, and smooth.

Taste: The flavor is smooth, with soft brown sugar, orange rind, some caramel and honey malt notes, and some fruity tangerine hoppiness. The finish is fairly even and mild without much lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel: A soft, light, natural carbonation is apparent and expected. The cask format provides for an enjoyable smoothness that I like.

Overall: On cask as well, this does not exhibit the typical blast of hops that I look for in an IPA, but the refreshing natural carbonation greatly improves this beer.

Serving type: cask

08-24-2011 16:12:53 | More by KickInTheChalice

thaghost

Illinois

4.04/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12 oz. can poured into a teku

Appearance - Fairly hazy golden orange color. About one-finger creamy head.

Smell -Cannot smell much of the hops. Picked up several fruit flavors.

Taste - Right amount of hops with the grain and sugar taste. Also picked up the grapefruit flavor.

Mouthfeel - Medium carbonation lingers for a bit, fairly heavy on the tongue, delicious nonetheless.

Overall - I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Not too hoppy like many IPAs, which for me, allowed me to pick up some more of the fruit and sugar tastes. However, a little too carbonated for me. Overall though, a solid IPA, especially out of a can.

Serving type: can

Serving type: can

05-20-2013 01:48:01 | More by thaghost

Alieniloquium

Florida

3/5  rDev -27%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. can poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Clear golden orange. Decent white head and retention. Thick collar of foam.

Smell - Not all that hoppy. Not enough for me at least. A little bit of grassy pine. Some sweetness.

Taste - Grain, a touch of sugar. Some hops. Grapefruit and pine. Not very hoppy. Cloying sugar in the finish with some fruity flavors.

Mouthfeel - Seems much heavier than it should feel. Medium carbonation.

Overall - Disappointing. Not very hoppy at all. Some funny fruity off flavors too.

Serving type: can

05-18-2013 23:47:59 | More by Alieniloquium

TheLostGringo

Connecticut

4.46/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Received a couple of Cans in a recent trade and was excited to give it a try.

A: Pours a light copper color with a 3 inch billowy head that I had be careful did not overflow the tulip glass I was drinking it out of, solid lacing throughout. 4.00

S: Big fruit aromas, perhaps the strongest tangerine, grapefruit, general fruitiness I have ever smelled in any beer. A slight resin aroma at the very end. 5.00

T: Follows the smell, juicy and fruity in the beginning with a nice hop bitterness to round things out, highly drinkable. 4.25

M: Just right, fills the mouth without being cloying or thin, just a bit sweet, goes down nice and smooth. 4.50

O: Extremely impressed and surprised at how good this was, really wish I could get this on a regular basis. 4.50

Serving type: can

05-15-2013 16:16:12 | More by TheLostGringo

RaulMondesi

California

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Wow, this was surprising. Like, Raul's Boo being nice to him surprising. I got this bad boi as an extra, and is Raul sure glad he did! Just straight up solid like pulling a jenga piece and not having the tower fall. Mmmmm, Raul like it. Raul like it like In N Out after midnight nice n good.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 03:59:10 | More by RaulMondesi

MatthewPlus

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Received in a trade from Powz87- thanks a ton bud!

Poured from a 12oz can into a 3Floyds teku- also received in the trade with Powz87.

Pretty polished, it shines a gold to garnet with a two finger head of egg shell, and unless im crazy, a small hint of lime green?

Muted nose, i get peach, lemon zest and mowed grass. It's not as prominent as many of the IPAs i've been drinking recently, perhaps that is weighing into this review.

It tastes good! Orange, tangerine lead into a bouquet of floral notes. Not biting or obtrusive, but also not eye-opening fantastic, just very solid.

Feels medium- light-medium, lasting bitter finish. certainly has a drying effect.

Seems like a self-sufficient IPA. I would certainly order this in a bar if I was in Chicago, but probably wouldnt buy a 6er to take home.

Serving type: can

05-10-2013 01:18:30 | More by MatthewPlus

vic21234

Illinois

3.79/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12oz can poured into a snifter. I threw out the top to the 6-pack, but I believe it said bottled on 3/27/13.

A- Pours a nice light orange color with a half fingers worth of white colored head that quickly fades to some froth along the side of the glass.

S- The smells gives off piney resin and citrus notes, with some slight grapefruit in there. Not much else.

T- The smell carries over into the taste. A resinous hop presence gives way to some sweet malts.

M- Light bodied, medium carbonation, hoppy with a dry finish, very easy drinking and refreshing.

A nice Chicago IPA.

Serving type: can

05-09-2013 21:37:20 | More by vic21234

sleuthdog

Illinois

4.11/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap into pint glass

Pour: Exceptional clarity. Amber hue with minimal head from tap. Lacing is noticed.

Smell: Grapefruit and some citrus first. Some pine and grass with a touch of biscuit. Not a very aromatic nose.

Taste: Citus notes of pineapple, grapefruit and orange are balanced out by a nice pine resin and touch of grass. Excellently balanced by a cracker and caramel malt making this one somewhat sweet.

Mouthfeel: Ligher bodied and highly drinkable. Crisp and refreshing with an appropriate amount of carbonation.

Overall: If you are looking for an easy drinking warm weather beer, look no further. With this one available in cans it makes it even more likely to be a summer beer. Not the best IPA but one I will easily pick up multiple times in the summer months.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2013 01:08:08 | More by sleuthdog

UCLABrewN84

California

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to GRG1313 for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a clear orange with a foamy white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, and citrus zest aromas. Taste is much the same with citrus zest flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: can

05-07-2013 03:49:10 | More by UCLABrewN84

Jparker37

Wisconsin

4.55/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12oz can poured into a nonic pint.

A - Light golden in color that has a slight orange tint. Medium sized pillowy white head falls to a small cap. Great clarity and leaving a small bit of lacing.

S - Distinct pine aroma. Tropical with a big peach quality. Bright and floral. About the freshest beer I've smelt.

T - Very early bitterness to this beer which is quite pleasant. Mild toasty malt gives a little bit of sweetness midway. Hop flavor is bright and citrusy then finishes with more pine. Modest bitterness cleans up well.

M - Medium to medium-light body, medium-light carbonation, dry.

O - Very impressed with this brew. Wonderful fresh aroma with a new and unique tropical aroma better than I've seen done yet. Flavor showcases bitterness early and makes for the most drinkable IPA. Body is on the light end but the rest of the feel is perfect. I would love to be able to get more of this and sincerely recommend this beer to all.

Serving type: can

05-01-2013 01:23:55 | More by Jparker37

Keffa

Ohio

4.14/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Live Review

Poured from 12oz can into my Saison Dupont glass.

A: Pours a brilliant golden yellow with a copper tinge, thick white head made up of fairly small bubbles takes several minutes to settle to a full cap, leaving sheets of lacing on the glass. Beautiful beer, probably one of the best I've seen.

S: Pine, pineapple, orange, and a lovely lemon note that I've never found in an IPA before. Behind the hops is a nice light malt body, cracker and pale in character. No real detectable ABV, at least to me. Solid.

T: Follows along pretty well with the smell, starts off with a little bit of a resinous bitterness, then shifts quickly to pine, grapefruit flesh, and a light malt sweetness. A very, very subtle heat from the alcohol shows itself, but it's so light that I don't really mind. Finishes clean, drying and a light, lingering bitterness. Solid, again.

M: Lighter carbonation, light-medium body. Slick and oily on the palate. Good for the style.

O: Really, really good beer. Didn't go into this one expecting much, and I'm glad I took the chance. Really good beer, and one I'll drink often, most likely. Highly recommended.

Serving type: can

04-29-2013 03:32:39 | More by Keffa

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.26/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This one got me from the first sight of the can, the Hop Head commander with the paratrooping hops really made me want to try some. Pours a crystal clear copper color with large bubble creamy off white head. Nose is a raw assault of hops, green fresh, mango, passionfruit, grapefruit it's all in there this smells of hop bomb status. Waves of bitter hops come across the palate, with fruit citrus, mango tropical tones and pine herbal bitter notes I love the mix of hops, ample sweetness balances out the beer. One hoppy ass beer, in a can it holds up nicely fresh hops were packed in properly to allow for minimal air and light exposure leading to really fresh tasting hops. Malts give off a mango juicy finish with the assault of hops that the beer offers at the end I paired it with an H. Upmann Legacy petite corona beautiful smoke attributes leading to a great cigar/beer combo. Medium bodied ale with an oily resinous texture, well carried out carbonation levels it doesn't get much better than this. Great mouthpuckering bitterness balanced with hop flavor and malt sweetness it's a beautiful hop bomb of a canned beer, I will seek more out.

Serving type: can

04-27-2013 19:51:28 | More by WVbeergeek

barczar

Kentucky

4.16/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a clear medium golden with copper highlights and a frothy half inch ivory head that dissipates slowly, leaving sheets of lacing.

Fresh cut grass, resin, pine, and grapefruit form the initial aroma. Very grassy. Pine and herbal hops accent a light caramel malt backbone.

Flavor reveals more citrus character at the base. Tangerine and grapefruit are accented by notes of mango, peach, and papaya, becoming resiny mid palate, with pine fading into a fairly bitter, earthy finish. Caramel malt serves only to tie the hop profile together.

Body is moderate, with moderate carbonation and a slight astringent bite.

Very good ipa. Enough bitterness to counter the fruity undertones, and fairly high hop complexity. Resiny, grassy, and citrusy all in one sip. For my personal tastes, it's a touch too bitter.

Serving type: can

04-27-2013 17:09:52 | More by barczar

whoneeds8

Texas

3.96/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Picked this up on my recent trip to Chicago.

Poured into a Samuel Adams glass a transparent burnt yellow with a two finger head. Good head retention and lacing. My nose is bad, but I detect a hop presence in the scent. The taste is is a well balanced hop variety and fairly strong for a regular AIPA. I little more on the piney hop than the floural hop, but none the less very nice. Mouthfeel is a little smaller than medium bodied making this a very sessionable AIPA.

Serving type: can

04-21-2013 00:38:25 | More by whoneeds8

tectactoe

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Extra from MCain04 - I've heard some good things about Revolution, so needless to say, I was excited to try this. Plus, can. Awesome. Pours a mostly cloudy, orange-crusted amber color with an eggshell cap that only grows to about a half-inch even after an aggressive pour. Lacing is minimal and pretty spotty, with only a few traces near the top of the glass.

Anti Hero has a largely floral nose; very perfumey, like leaves or flower pedals. Some gentle grapefruit thrusts about in the background, combining for a sweet, grassy, hop and fruit combination. If I had to guess, I'd say this was loaded with Centennial hops - the nose reminds me just a bit of a hometown favorite, Two Hearted. The hop assault is held up nicely by some solid, malty pillars; biscuits, butter, with just the slightest touch of caramel. I haven't taken a sip yet, but the aroma just screams "well-rounded".

My suspicions are confirmed shortly after taking my first sip - a very balanced attack of hops and malt that follows the nose quite closely. A good bit of grapefruit hits up front, backed-up by a brilliant floral and rosey hop profile. This thing tastes like grapefruit perfume. Little bits of pine squeeze their head into the very back end; wet and grassy with the smallest hint of white pepper. I might be getting some tangerine with the grapefruit as well, though maybe I'm just imagining that.

The malt stands up admirably to the attack of hops without buckling or backing down. Biscuits, crackers, bread, butter, and a small mention of toasted caramel malt. The light, injected sweetness couples perfectly with the brash hop bitterness to create a magnificent balance all-around. Finish is dry and full of a musky, faded floral essence. Medium bodied with carbonation that seemed a bit low for an IPA, although it didn't really hinder the experience at all. Slick, oily, and wet on the palate.

Absolutely no idea why, but I was expecting this to be a citrus bomb. It wasn't at all, rather it was an excellent display of how a superbly balanced IPA can be just as good as the ones that are thrown out of kilter with Citra hops. Reminds me quite a bit of Two Hearted in terms of hopping profile. Genuinely enjoyed this one and I'd like to have some more if it ever made its way to Michigan.

Serving type: can

04-18-2013 12:10:57 | More by tectactoe

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 fl oz. can, with apparent best by date on the six pack March 26, 2013. So I might be a little late on this one, but I'm not scared. Onward we go. Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Semi-aggressive pour yields two fingers of slightly off-white / tan colored head on top of a beautiful coppery orange colored body. Some nice strands of bubbles floating to the top, and some nice looking sediment floating around. Thin curtains of wispy lace.

S - Smell is of a lightly sweet, bitter grapefruit / mango hop presence. Dash of pine resin, but mostly fruity hop sweetness to be found in the nose. Some bready malts creep out as the beer warms a bit.

T - Nicely balanced taste, with a nice crisp malt backbone to complement the bitter hop presence in the beer. Citrus fruit, and some light cracked pepper / rye malt taste in there also. Some tart green apple skin sweetness.

M - Feel is of bitter hop spice & some sticky fruity resin. A lasting green apple sweetness. A tasty brew.

Overall, not breaking any remarkable new ground in the realm of IPA's, but this is definitely a well-rounded, balanced, tasty beverage with a rewarding 6.50% abv. Definitely an IPA I will revist, and a brewery I am looking forward to trying more of. This was my first beer from Revolution Brewing Co., but it was a fine introduction indeed.

Revolution Anti-Hero ---4/5.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 23:58:41 | More by mfnmbvp

Lognar

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a beautiful orange copper with a finger and a half of white foam. Reminds me of Orange Hi-C.

The nose is overall fairly sweet with some pine, and lots of citrus sweetness by way of grapefruit, mango, and orange. A bit of bready malt peeks out from beneath the sweetness and keeps it from being too sweet.

The taste is a perfect blend of pine and citrus. Again, the citrus is grapefruit, mango, and orange. The bitterness builds with the finish, levels out just before it overpowers, high fives the other flavors, they all hang out a bit, and then pick up a nice floral, palate cleansing dryness to close things out.

The mouthfeel is nice and silky, almost oily, with decent carbonation.

Overall this is an amazing IPA. It rivals Zombie Dust as my favorite IPA/APA. The perfectly balanced and blended bitterness of Anti-Hero really makes this brew something wonderful. Like a rug that really ties the room together, it really ties this brew together. This is a definitely a sleeper of an IPA. If it weren't year round it would be highly sought after imo.

Serving type: can

04-08-2013 00:20:20 | More by Lognar

matjack85

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I bought this single 12oz can as part of a build-your-own 6 pack for $9.99 at the Binny's store in Bloomingdale, IL, so $1.67 a can. Much cheaper than the $5 a glass price you pay at the brewpub. No freshness date.

The beer poured a crystal clear golden color with a 2-finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.

Nice citrus and floral hop smell that was heavy with grapefruit rind.

Delicious citrus hops with grapefruit being the dominant flavor, but with enough sweet malt to keep it balanced. Not really heavy on bitterness, but enough to let you know it's an IPA (70 IBU's).

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Goes down nice and smooth.

This is now my favorite grapefruit flavored IPA to date.

Serving type: can

04-04-2013 01:51:03 | More by matjack85

Brenden

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Anti-Hero pours from the can a nice, deep coppery sort of orange color with a thick haze to it. An off-white head develops well, showing good retention after reaching about a finger in height and leaving patchy lacing in good quantity on the glass.
There's a good balance to this nicely hoppy beer, as citrus and raw piney notes meld with the inherent sweetness of caramel malts. The citrus follows through all the way and is also underneath as an element of sweetness as well as bitterness. In the nose particularly, it goes a bit herbal toward the end. Citrus pulls it out even more strongly in the flavor, with some of the malty sweetness foregone for a more bready and dry taste. It goes leafy but retains the juiciness in the hops component. The lingering finish is bitter and goes more leafy, herbal and a bit raw (in a good way).
The bitterness pulls this one toward dry, and the sweetness in the body doesn't quite pull away from that. It's got a solid medium heft, but goes a little too heavy to present everything cleanly. It has good smoothness to it , and the crisp bite is sustained in every sip.

Serving type: can

03-29-2013 14:09:45 | More by Brenden

Monkeyknife

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the can at Homeslice in Lincoln Park, Chicago a deep golden color with two fingers of white head. Generous amounts of lacing left behind.

Big aroma of grapefruit and pine resin with a light note of caramel malts behind.

The taste matched the aroma. Hop-driven, big citrusy bite of grapefruit and pine followed by lighter caramel malts for balance.

Medium bodied and clean with a moderate carbonation.

Very nice, indeed. This delivered the big hoppy, citrus bite I like in my IPAs. I hope they'll come down to St. Louis soon.

Serving type: can

03-29-2013 00:10:00 | More by Monkeyknife

VaTechHopHead

California

3.03/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

This beer is very very boring and has a quite unpleasant soapy character to it. I went into a Binny's in the suburbs of Chicago and ask for an IPA that had a lot of citrus character and the general manager suggested Anti-Hero. Clearly that guy needs to try more of the products in his store. Hardly any citrus flavor, lots of soap, pine and malted cereal. But the can design is pretty cool I guess....

Serving type: can

03-19-2013 01:57:36 | More by VaTechHopHead

raznug

Ohio

4.44/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Anti Hero pours a crystal clear deep golden color and is topped with a ¾” of white head that dissipates into a thin layer
Smell: The aroma of this beer is a tasty smelling blend of citrus and pine hops the has me really wanting to like this brew.
Taste: The flavor of this beer follows right in line with the aroma and has a tasty but not over powering blend of pine and citrus hops. I taste grassy hops and malt in the background to put it over the top for a good brew.
Mouthfeel: This is a medium bodied beer that is easy to drink with a good blend of hops and malt.

Serving type: can

03-16-2013 17:29:33 | More by raznug

stangski83

Illinois

4.34/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This is my current go-to craft can. Love the artwork on the cans as well (i admit, my eyes are pleased when i look at one of these, and perhaps i am over-rating, but too bad. i like this beer a bunch). anyways, the review: the one thing that has always drawn me to this beer, especially in canned form, is the fresh taste of the hops. this beer has made me a firm believer that craft beer really needs to be canned more often, because i have yet to find an IPA in brown glass that tastes this refreshingly good with very few exceptions. i think that between blocking the light and the air, this canned IPA really lights up my palette with joy! that being said, i have been impressed with the half-acre and two brothers canned pales as well, but this is hands down my favorite of the canned craft pales in the IL/Chicago area.

Serving type: can

03-15-2013 23:15:15 | More by stangski83

nesbitetennis

Illinois

3.66/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Frothy white head, good retention. Pale, clear gold.

S: Citrus, with a good hop nose.

T: Well-balanced, but could use more hop flavor. A little too subdued. Residual bitterness.

M: Clean and smooth.

O: A nice clean IPA, but nothing memorable.

Serving type: can

03-14-2013 00:56:41 | More by nesbitetennis

mttaylor1066

Connecticut

4.16/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A - A coppery yellow beer with a persistent head. Looks inviting.

S - A good American hop kick, just as an IPA should kick

T - Another good dose of hop bitterness, classic for an American IPA.

M - Goes down smooth. I'll have another, bar keep!

O - A good representative of the American style. Leave me alone, I'm drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2013 18:13:07 | More by mttaylor1066