Ephraim - Hill Farmstead Brewery

jeffthecheff

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a swing-top 750 that was bottled for VIP attendees at the harvest festival.

Pours a clear pale orange with a great white head. Aroma is fruity with pear and melon notes along with some peach. Minimal pine/green hop notes.

Flavor is strong and boozy with a nice candy-like sweetnes in the middle. Finish is overly harsh with high alcohol notes and in the end isn't all that complex.

Mouthfeel is smooth throughout with carbonation on the low side. Nice maltiness creates a substantial body mid palate while still having a dry finish. Definitely the high point of this beer. Overall, I feel the same way about this beer as I did when I had it on tap; booziness overshadows the hop profile. This beer reminds me a lot of hopslam, which I also think is on the wrong side of booze/hop balance. I prefer the less harsh/more aromatic character of HF's other hoppy beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 07:03:28 | More by jeffthecheff

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly hazy golden yellow color with a one finger frothy white head that has good retention, slowly fading into a lasting ring. Sporadic chunks of lacing left behind.

The nose on this beer is absolutely fantastic. Just bursting through with a ton of tropical and citrus fruit along with some slight earthy pine, pale malt and sweet booze. Lots of mango and pineapple as well as some grapefruit and lemon peel. One of the best smelling IPAs I've encountered.

This beer looks great and smells incredible but unfortunately the flavor falls way off. The citrus and tropical fruit notes are there but anywhere near as prominent as the aroma suggests. More bitter and earthy than expected with piny/soily flavor but not overly dry. Also, it is very hot and the strong booze component kills the best of the hop flavor. Hints of grapefruit and lemon peel with a very faint tropical presence. The malt backbone is also stronger than expected with hints of biscuit and an overly grainy graham cracker presence. Toward the end of the palate the beer is almost all booze. Kind of all over the place an very disappointing.

I have heard very good things about this beer and was really looking forward to it but it was an enormous let down. I'm gong to be trying it again on draft in a few days and will update my review if my opinion changes.

Serving type: growler

04-18-2011 22:19:00 | More by corby112

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3.5

Shared by Gonzoillini at a tasting. This was the first beer if the night. I was very excited to try it!
Growler opened with a large -pop- and was served in my Ithaca tulip.

The beer looks great. Nice closing yellowy gold... Slightly hazy, which I am a fan of... Big 3 fingers of white head... Very sticky lacing and strong retention. Off to a very strong start.

Smells good. Big citrus and pine hop notes. No real malt. Crisp and clean. The taste has some citrus and pine for sure... But everything is almost lost to a hurricane of pure bitterness. This is painfully bitter, but at the cost of a lot of flavor. This reminds me of Ruination a bit...

The body is oily and light-- almost thin for my tastes. Almost watery?! Wow. There is no bright prickliness that really helps propel the flavor across each tastebud... The beer feels dull and boring. Lots of oily residue left after each sip. It coats my teeth with pine tar.

Overall... This is a good beer. Is it fantastic? Meh. Is it world class? Nope.
It is a sign of a good young brewery though, and I'd love to see what these guys can do after tweaking things a bit.

Serving type: growler

03-06-2011 14:43:24 | More by AleWatcher

Ynot2

California

3.4/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served from a 750ml swing top growler into a tulip glass (thanks Satchboogie). This is probably a 2 week old beer at this point shipped from East to West coast.

Pours a golden color with decent fluffy white head. Plenty of lacing left as I drink it down. About what I would expect.

The smell is sweet and fruity with a little pine and even some sugary malts. Lots going with the smell, one of the better parts of the beer.

The tastes are kind of earthy, especially for a DIPA. The nice citrusy hops fade quickly and is replaced with sweet tropical fruits. The end is a little more bitter than I expected, not a good or bad thing, just not expected. The sweet flavors are big and all of a sudden you are left with a bitter bite.

Mouthfeel is good for DIPA, nothing spectacular, but good. The alcohol is well hidden, again not good or bad, just there.

I was disappointed in this. I had a Pliny that was a month old just before this and the Pliny had more of a hop profile, a better balance and just an overall better beer (for me). A good beer, but not in the same league as Pliny, Citra, Ruination, Hopslam or Dreadnaught.

Serving type: growler

10-26-2011 01:03:19 | More by Ynot2

ChadQuest

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From a Growler. Giddie Up.
Color is a sunburst golden amber color, like a light resin nugget. Picture the piece of resin from jurrasic park that they extract the mosquito dna from, that color right there hits it.
The aroma is predominantly citrus and grapefruit, and just a hint of mango and tropical pulls through, but citrus is by far the winner in this aromatic battle of domination.
The flavors match the aroma, with the exception that the faint tropics are replaced with a faint pine grove, but this pine grove still has 10x the grapefruit trees in comparison. This one is very bitter, it doesn't only have hop flavors but a lot of bitterness also, balanced slightly but a bit of residual sugars.

Serving type: growler

10-11-2011 21:52:39 | More by ChadQuest

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

First had: on tap at Blackback Pub, Waterbury, VT

I've had my fair share of HF beers, but for some reason this one has eluded me for years. Now I've had it, and despite it's reputation, I must say, I'm not a huge fan. I actually think the bartender may have poured me Arthur instead of Ephraim. And I haven't had Arthur yet, so I can't verify this, but I do have a bottle of the stuff in the fridge. Once I drink it, I'll know for sure, and if it is true I was served the wrong beer, I will delete this review and go back to being Ephraim-less in life.

Appearance-wise, the beer was tremendous. Served in a HF stem glass, slightly hazy, bright amber color with a large, foamy, white head that retained amazingly and left blankets of lacing on the glass. Aroma of somewhat muted tropical and stone fruits, musty grass, somewhat bready; none of the intensity I'd expect from a fresh IPA though. More in line with a Belgian IPA or even moderately hoppy saison (further leading me to believe it could have been Arthur). Unexpected hit of funkiness up front in the taste, soft peach, citrus zest, mango, pear, bready malts, slightly bitter in the aftertaste. Hmm. Yep. This was either a fresh Arthur or an old Ephraim. Medium body, somewhat sticky and chewy. Overall fairly drinkable, but not quite what I expected.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2012 19:52:45 | More by Rifugium

Rampage1

Arizona

3.63/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Drank on Mar. 25th.
Was really looking forward to trying this after hearing so much about it and having had Farmstead Citra which I thought was pretty damn good.

Appearance: Has a dark golden color to it with not a ton of carbonation. White head that disappeared pretty quick.

Smell: Has some nice tropical smells to it. Mostly Citrus with mango and a little pineapple. I am also getting some apricot smells and a little hot alcohol in the smell.

Taste: Has a ton of citrus in the first part of the taste that quickly goes to a decent amount of bitterness. I was a little disappointed there was not much malt to balance this out much. No real biscuit flavors like I get with Kern Citra. I also get a little hotness from the alcohol which i was surprised about but could be due to the lower side of the carbonation.

Mouthfeel: This one is really thin and I thinks that's why it taste's hot to me. Poured with some carbonation initially but the head faded quick and the taste became a little more one dimensional.

Overall: I liked this IPA but would say I am not seeking this one out again. In the end it does not come close to my favorite double IPA--Kern Citra which is my measuring stick. Maybe if it had better carbonation and a little stronger smell I would think different. I liked Hill Farmstead Citra much better for sure. Citra had a better nose and way better overall taste to it. Glad I got to try it.

Serving type: growler

04-01-2011 23:10:48 | More by Rampage1

Cascade77

Vermont

3.68/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The second of two growlers I picked up last weekend.

Poured into a Duvel Tulip and leaves a small off-white head that goes quickly. Lots of bubbles coming up through a light yellow beer. Pretty clear.

Smells really nice with pine flavored resiny hops up front. Really not much else. A bit of booziness to the smell.

Taste is lighter than expected. A bit fruity, hops come on strong with mango, papaya and other island tastes. Really no malt to speak of. Booze comes through stong after the third sip but that's to be expected.

Mouth feel is thin and dry. A bit champagne like. Kind of tingly mouth feel as with most of the HF beers I have tried so far. Not something I love.

Overall I liked it but not a lot of depth. Hoppy and thin with that signature bite and tingly, numbing feeling. Where is the flavor? Dangerously close to proving that if you dump enough hops into it the geeks will flock to it.

Serving type: growler

03-23-2011 19:57:33 | More by Cascade77

Rhettroactive

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From 750mL swingtop growler to snifter on 11/13/11 at a small tasting with friends
*From notes

-- Yet again, many thanks for sharing, Bill --

A: A really healthy presentation. Rich, golden amber and when properly poured, a bubbly 1.25 finger head and decent lacing appear. Really nice retention, as the head lingers for some time.

S: It's floral, yet rather subdued. It's earthy, malty and signifigantly herbal. Lovely, it's really a pleasure to let this drift in and out of the nostrils.

T: This is intense stuff. For as laid back as the bouquet is, the flavor profile is quite the opposite. There's less fruit here, and more of an intensly toasted, almost burnt onion quality to it. It's most certainly rich, and the finish showcases hints of ripe strawberries.

M: The texture is suitable, yet I wish there was more to it. A bit undercarbed, which I'll forgive as it is coming from a growler. But to pack that big of a punch into an almost flabby body is not what I'd call desirable.

O: Hill Farmstead's Ephraim is a very, very good beer that, in my opinion, never reaches the heights of greatness. It certainly knows where it wants to go, yet it wasn't where I felt it needed to be. More of a sipping DIPA, it's one to be shared, as I don't know how one would get down massive quantities of this.

Of the two hoppier HF offerings we imbibed that afternoon, I would have no reservations reaching for their Abner each and every time, as I feel it to be the better and substantially more balanced offering.

Serving type: growler

12-11-2011 20:21:47 | More by Rhettroactive

tarheels86

California

3.85/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL growler thanks to oteyj. Pours a clear amber with a modest white head. Looks very different from other samples I’ve had which looked glowin yellow. Nose here is pretty sticky, sugary, muted, candy, maple, orange, 3C hops. Decent. Taste up front is sticky with some very obvious booziness moving to vanilla and maple. But overall, sticky and resinous. Not vey fruity or tropical like I was expecting. Very different from the Double Citra. Good stuff, yummy, but nothing too exciting.

Tap at Capone’s. Definitely not good enough to warrant the iPhone theft that happened to my girlfriend. Small, dense off-white head on a dirty, ugly yellow. Nose is caramel and meaty jackfruit. Taste is boozy, spicy, loads of candied orange slices and orange peel. Sticky, candy body. Butterscotch comes through. Not bad- pretty enjoyable but the opposite of what I was expecting. 10/17/2011 7/3/8/4/15=3.7

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2012 20:03:08 | More by tarheels86

readbaron

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to KickInTheChalice for this one. Pour from a 750 ml growler into a Parra Duvel tulip.

Pours an unusual golden orange color. When held up to the light it's a light golden orange.

Lots of honey and caramel malt on the aroma - then it fades into dank hops and with a hint of citrus and tropical fruit. Really impressive.

Taste doesn't live up to the nose - bitter hops dominate - not as much malt and sweetness as the nose indicates. It's still sweet, but the sweetness is overwhelmed by piney, hoppy bitterness. It lacks the crisp clarity of sweet then hoppy that I appreciate in other sweet DIPAs that I've had.

Mouthfeel is good. Medium bodied, fairly heavy for a DIPA, decently carbed, but not as creamy or smooth as would be ideal.

Overall - a solid beer, but doesn't deserve it's top 100 status in my book.

Serving type: growler

10-14-2011 01:42:46 | More by readbaron

Damian

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Drank on-tap at the Blackback Pub & Flyshop, Waterbury, VT
Served in a cervoise

A creamy, light tan, one-finger cap of froth topped the hazy, amber liquid. As the beer sat, the head dissipated to a thin film and the body turned nearly transparent.

Loads of candied grapefruit peel came through in the aroma. Super dank and hoppy. Citrusy and rather sweet. Some brown sugar notes were apparent.

The taste started out fairly balanced but soon turned overwhelmingly hoppy and bitter. Pithy, dry, grapefruit peel dominated the flavor profile. Oily and resinous. Orange notes came through as well. The finish was outrageously piney, dry and bitter.

The mouthfeel was creamy and smooth with a fine, moderate effervescence. For a beer of this magnitude, however, I was hoping for a slightly bigger body.

Drinkability certainly was not this beer's strong point. It was so dry and bitter that I actually had a bit of difficulty putting down all twelve ounces.

Ephraim calls itself a "triple IPA" and it certainly lives up to its classification. If you prefer your IPAs abrasively hoppy and bitter, then you would likely enjoy this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2010 02:26:14 | More by Damian

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750 mL growler into a tulip. Thanks to CharlieMurphy for shipping me this WaLe.

Appearance: The pour is hazy copper color, kind of a faint color. A light creamy head forms on the pour and leaves some light lace on the glass.

Smell: The aroma is full of caramel malt, some honey, pineapple, a little grapefruit, and some herbal notes. More sweet than bitter.

Taste: The flavor starts sweet and retains a honey and caramel fruity sweetness throughout each sip. The hoppy notes are full of pineapple, dank notes, spicy pine, and a little bit of grapefruit. The finish is bitter, but the sweetness really resonates with on my palate.

Mouthfeel: The feel is lighter than the 10.5% ABV would lead me to have expected. It starts sweet and fnishes a little more dry, with a fair amount of hop resin.

Overall: For a sweet DIPA, this was pretty good. Compared to the whole range of DIPA's this is slightly better than mediocre.

Serving type: growler

10-14-2011 01:51:48 | More by KickInTheChalice

airohead2001

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to glazeman for this one. Winter is breaking in Chicago's western burbs. Bring on the sun. This beer is poured into a snifter from a bigass crazy looking growler.

The appearance is nothing too special - light yellow with a one finger head; pretty clear; reminds me of Sculpin.

Smell is fruity and boozy - mango, grapefruit, and some nutty maltiness in the finish.

Taste is good, but there is a lack of a fresh hop bite. Too sweet and too fruity.

Mouthfeel is sort of chalky and syrupy. Nice, but maybe a little too thick for a DIPA.

Overall, this is a good beer. But no, it does not live up to the hype.

Serving type: growler

03-19-2011 23:32:36 | More by airohead2001

dboon

Florida

4/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Just another SICK growler provided by hopscotch. Clear golden pour with small frothy white head. Hop and peach aromas. An easy sippin’ DIPA with a somewhat thinner body. Tangy/citrusy hop flavors with a subtle spicy finish. Not as bold and in your face as some DIPAs, but still very good...

Serving type: growler

07-13-2011 21:43:17 | More by dboon

FosterJM

California

4/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1579th Review on BA
Growler to HF Stem
750ml

Thanks to Rudzud for this one

App- A bit lighter in the glass than Abner was. This was more yellow tinged in color. A smaller one finger head. This was still a bit hazy but less dense in the glass than Abner was. A couple dots of cling and lace. Falls quickly vs. the fluffy Abner.

Smell- A nice nose for a DIPA. Doesnt blow me away but its solid. A couple notches below Abner but yet better than 90% of other DIPAs. A small bit of creamy hops and a bit of citrus. Not sure what fruit combo this one is. More of a dense/dank aroma.

Taste- This was a good DIPA, not a great one. Better than 90-95% of whats out there. It was a nice creamy flavor with some good hoppy bitter behind it. This one on the others from HF was more dank/and dense on the zest behind it. A bit more grapefruit and peach flavors.

Mouth- A nice body similar to Abner with a bit of creamy hops and some creaminess remaining. A nice amount of bitter zest and fruits remain. Call this a solid medium body DIPA with a nice wet carbonation behind it.

Drink- Well the fearsome twosome from HF have been taken down. I liked Abner more but wont say no to this again.

Serving type: growler

10-22-2012 20:59:01 | More by FosterJM

tewaris

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mista brought it all to Darkness Day, thanks! My only "tick" from the said event.

Hazy, amber color. Duh. Looks like any and every Hill Farmstead hoppy beer and I am pleased just by the looks! Grainy and piney aroma. Very clean bitterness but well supported by a clean malt base, if that doesn't seem oxymoron-ic. A good hop flavor heavy on pine sap and citrus rind. Glad to have had it. Thank you again!

Serving type: growler

11-07-2012 09:16:29 | More by tewaris

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to mtardiff for providing this gem in trade. Marc is an excellent trade partner.

Pours with a finger of thick tight bright white head that shows excellent retention. The beer is a bright clear brass color with no visible carbonation. Some nice lace clings to the glass. At times the deposits are quite thick.

Bright sweet juicy aroma. Not quite as floral as I would have guessed. A touch of grapefruit, but much more juicy sweet thick fruit. A slight whiff of the alcohol to come.

Lots going on here. The flavor is as thick as the aroma. Initial sweetness, flips to thick fruit and then a moment of alcohol. This then melds into a nice finish that is part light malt and resin like bitterness from thick green hops. No doubt a nice beer, but the alcohol is a bit too present for my liking. A pretty thick dose of mango comes through as I drink this. This mixes well with the alcohol flavor.

Pretty thick and sticky DPA. Again the word juicy applies.
I am surprised that this beer is getting some of the highest scores from Hill Farmstead. It’s good, but does not reach the heights of some of their other brews. Having said that, this is rarified air since most of their beers are quite excellent.

Thanks Marc

Serving type: growler

10-10-2011 19:41:07 | More by Reagan1984

glazeman

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a growler into a snifter. Thanks goes out to gn0sis for sending this my way. Split with airohead2001 and z-pack.

A: Gold in color with a 1 finger white head that has pretty good retention and lacing. Typically, I prefer a little more amber in my DIPAs.

S: There's lots of tropical fruits and some citrus on the nose. Mostly I get pear, orange, and strawberry with a little bit of guava and banana. There's some earthiness at the back end.

T: When this one is very cold there's a lot of sweet fruit and citrus flavors, but as it warms it becomes chalkier. Actually it becomes quite chalky as it warms. I would really recommend drinking this as cold as possible, as that is when I think it's at its best. Also, while there are great fruit and some citrus flavors, this beer is slightly sweeter than I like for the style

M: I thought the carbonation and viscosity were appropriate and above average, although I wasn't a big fan of the aftertaste. It was just too chalky at the finish, and not as crisp and clean as I would have liked. Also, while the start of the beer is great, I like a little bit of hop bite at the end, and I feel that this beer doesn't have to much of a bitterness at the finish. In summary, it's a sweet, fruity, pretty good DIPA.

O: Overall, if this was on tap near me I would probably have it frequently. If I had to trade a difficult to come by beer for it, I most likely wouldn't do it. In terms of drinkability, this beer gets a lot of credit for going down easy and masking the 10.5% ABV.

Serving type: growler

03-19-2011 23:45:46 | More by glazeman

oline73

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I received this from a trade and split it at Max's during Baltimore Beer Week. Poured into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours a clear golden/light amber with a half finger of white head that leaves a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Sweet and extremely hoppy. Some malt, but mostly citrus hops. There is a mild burn at the end.

Taste: This beer can only be described as a hop bomb. Sweet citrus hops crush the tongue immediately. The finish is very bitter with a taste of citrus peel and some alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tingly carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: I thought this was a good beer, but I liked Abner more when I tried that. This is intense and I couldn't have done more than one glass.

Serving type: growler

10-15-2011 18:30:20 | More by oline73

merc7186

New York

4.08/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured from a bomber into a snifter glass.

A: Hazy Golden Straw Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head, Decent Lacing

S: Citrusy, Grapefruit, Mild Resin

T: Grapefruit, Resin

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Bitter, Mildly Drying

Overall, a pretty nice DIPA but doesn't blow you away.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 02:29:04 | More by merc7186

Arbitrator

California

4.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Chilled growler into a glass. Thanks Kristin!

A: Pours a hazy golden peach body with not a ton of head. The growler has been in transit for a week and it was apparently filled right to the top; the paper towel wrapped around the neck showed that it might have leaked in transit, so I'm forgiving any carbonation issues in appearance or mouthfeel. This special is today only! Anyway, the foam is lightly beige in color; it slowly comes out of solution, then vanishes very quickly. Some spotty lace left behind.

S: Carbonation issues or no, it is not affecting the aroma at all. A nice, pungent blend of orange rind, candied grapefruit, pineapple, passionfruit, and a touch of mossy weed (I wrote this down as 'dank' to widespread mockery by the tasting group, but I stand by it). There's an expressive sugariness and booze.

T: Initially the taste is a rough bitterness. I'm unused to this, considering that I mostly drink West Coast IPAs with a lot of hop flavor but not necessarily a lot of hop bitterness. But the flavors come together pretty nicely: orange rind, passionfruit, pineapple. Grapefruit and substantial sugar cookie give the impression of candied grapefruit. The mossy, weedy flavors are particularly noticeable here; they pull into the finish with a sticky, resinous presence. This reminds me heavily of fresh Moylan's Hopsickle.

M: Full, expressive flavors abound. There's a touch of booze that I don't enjoy, but having had a 3-week old growler of Pliny the Younger that was boozier than the tap version, I'm attributing this change to the serving format. It's also low in carbonation, but again, I'm forgiving it. It has an enamel-peeling bitterness and stickiness that made it hard to taste anything afterward. I was a little stupid in opening it so early in the night.

D: I still find that Pliny the Younger takes the cake when you're talking about triple IPAs. I prefer the sweeter presence of that beer to the bitterness of this one. But I've also had the former under optimal serving conditions, and this one less so; I wouldn't be surprised if that makes a difference. This is a great beer. I'd love to have it again. But given most of the trade demands for it, I'd probably get some fresh Hopsickle on tap, instead...

Serving type: growler

10-16-2010 19:45:18 | More by Arbitrator

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On Tap At Capone's.

A- Ephraim looks the part, shades of golden orange with some tangerine looks. a nice amount of white foam on top that leaves minor stickage. Decent retention, while some swirls brings it back.

S- A really pungent bouquet of hop aroma blasting out. Smells of ripe tropics such as grapefruit and pineapple with a decent amount of pine. A array of hop types in here, probably including Summit(slight onion), thanks for the tip Bill.

T- First sips, Ephraim just comes out swinging. An assult of hop flavor and tropic mixed in with pine in the beginning. Some malt biscuit barely makes a whimper in between. Just a bit of summit hop flavor under a bevy of others. It's interesting and worth the praise, just not my top pick.

M- Like said, hops and bitterness basically envade the mouth. Astringent and really grabs ahold of the tounge. Medium bodied and carbed up from the tap. Great beer burps afterwards and the flavor sticks around with me forever.

O- A great beer and a banging double eye. Very drinkable, but the bitterness can deter for a bit. the tropics are not as large as expected, Abner really shines in that department. This is another beast.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2011 17:24:35 | More by onix1agr

Beerisheaven

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at another great event/gathering at Capones. Matt continues to roll out the heavy guns this month, with this event following Russian River and Firestone. Matt, you spoil us so.

A - Crisp and colorful, dominated by a yellow/orange profile with a nice white head that pulls back and leaves a moderate level of stickiness on the glass.

S - For my money, this is the shining part of the beer. Grapefruit, citrus, and pine all come forward in an intoxicating manner.

T - Now I will temper this somewhat by saying that hop-bombs are not my favorite style. This one assaults you with bitterness, strong pine, and citrus flavors. An edge of malt lies in the background, but the real punch is in the hoppy frutiness and pine flavors. Personally, a little too much for me but again not my preferred style. I leave it to the experts to debate this v. Younger and the other leaders of the DIPA pack.

M - Tart with the bitterness again dominating the experience.

O - OK, so I am glad that I tried it but I would not offer up my cellar to obtain this beer simply because it is not my cup of tea (or hops). Still, glad to have had the opportunity to try this beer since so many talk about it. Thanks again Matt for another great event.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2011 18:13:05 | More by Beerisheaven

RBassSFHOPit2ME

California

4.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - For a "TIPA" or one of 10.5% ABV, this beer is golden, plenty of activation in the glass and looks like a standard low ABV West Coast IPA. You see right through the glass...very impressive here.

S - Mango's, Pineapple and oranges with a candy sweetness to those fruits I mention...and grassy pine and earth. Nothing overpowering, actually a bit more mellow than I was expecting but very pleasant nevertheless.

T - Much of the same as the nose. Not overpowering but everything plays well together. A little boozy on the back end and the pine plays an equal role here as the tropical fruits. This is a bitter beer, I'd imagine overly bitter for most or some, but for a DIPA of this ABV it works awesome for making this extremely drinkable. Malt backbone there, but plays second fiddle to the hops. Dry and crisp upon finish. Leaving you ready for more - Really reminds me of RRBC's IPA profile...

M - This beer drinks VERY light and feels light for a 10.5% DIPA. Too easy. Like a 7% IPA but make no mistake, you do taste the booze in the finish. Very well balanced. Very much reminiscent of the PtE and PtY mouthfeel here... Blind, I'd assume this was a new RRBC IPA. The ONLY reason this aspect does not receive a 5 from me is that the booze could be masked a bit more. PtY and Terrapin Hopzilla side project 12 does a better job of this.

O - This is a hop-head's must try at least once. Does it live up to the hype....for me almost but just shy. It's a very very good beer but with all the madness lately surrounding it....there are others that match up. Although....I need a on tap specimen to really back that statement up I'm fully aware. Great stuff!

Serving type: growler

10-15-2011 19:44:26 | More by RBassSFHOPit2ME