Coulter IPA - Cismontane Brewing Company

timluke

California

4.28/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bought a growler of the Coulter IPA for SuperBowl. Was generous to share some of it with friends, drank most myself.

Poured it to a couple of whiskey tumblers. The beer had a solid body, with a distinctive aroma that doesn't overwhelm or linger.

Alcohol balance was nice, too - you could tell it was there, but it wasn't dwarfing the hops or malty tastes.

Much enjoyed. Looking forward to the next growler.

Serving type: growler

02-07-2011 04:43:44 | More by timluke

beagle75

Iowa

3.73/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Coulter IPA; Poured from the growler into a tulip glass.

A: Hazy, medium amber color with one finger of diminishing off-white foam head. Heavy lacing remains on the glass.

S: Piney hops, cotton candy, brandy, and toast qualities are all detected in the smell--unusual, in a good way.

T: Begins off-dry, fruity and acidic, with hop aromatics providing some citrus and earthy complexity. Bready malt fills the palate in the middle, with drier vinous fruit also emerging. The finish is bracingly bitter, retaining the earthy qualities detected earlier.

M: Medium viscosity, very sticky on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D: This unusual IPA showcases some boldly English qualities usually unheard of in Southern California. While it mostly lacks the clean, citrusy flavor profile characteristic of a west coast IPA, it features instead more subtle charms. It makes a fine companion to rich food, but it is hardly sessionable.

Serving type: growler

10-05-2010 05:49:35 | More by beagle75

nige4958

California

2.1/5  rDev -42%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Well, in the world of IPA's, this one just doesn't pack enough punch or consistency for that matter. Beer pours a very cloudy, swamp waterish amber. Mild aroma of candied fruits, hop resin, with some pleasant floral aromas. Flavor is heavily one-sided towards
malt with some bitterness just breaking through. This beer is just way too malt heavy.

Serving type: on-tap

05-31-2013 00:24:47 | More by nige4958

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

3.66/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(had a bottle of this at City Beer Store, mid April - out of the umpteen tons of IPAs and other hop-forward beers they stock there, the gentleman behind the counter suggested this as one that stood out - perhaps he was right)

A: light, bright orange and cloudy as hell (hop and yeast sediment, I presume) - this could easily account for the messy, cottony head and its poor retention, forget the lace.... looks more like some sort of unfiltered fruit nectar

S: weak overall nose - wet cookie, bread-roll crust (rye?), grapefruit and orange, yeast dregs in modicum - nothing off-putting, just messy altogether

T: real juicy, grapefruit pulp and orange.... some malt pokes through, noticeably rye.... I suppose I'm getting pine sap, too (could be the label playing with my mind).... floral-flavored bitterness in the finish.... the alcohol is hidden real well - it's in that "magic" range of 6.5-7.5%

M: nearly thick but also somehow a tad watery, pulpy-nectar-juicy (sediment in effect)

O: this comes across like homebrew - "rustic"? - notable, but I wouldn't recommend it

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 17:41:39 | More by Bouleboubier

Brenden

Ohio

3.84/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A lovely-looking bright amber-copper in color, this IPA develops a neat, compact white head that sits strong on top for a good while. It leaves mostly patchy lacing well down to nearly the bottom of the glass.
There's a good balance of both sweet and bitter in the tropical and citrus fruits, showing some skin and rind as well as flesh. Pine also comes through to sit alongside the rest, and the balance boasted in the bottle is certainly present in the breads and caramel elements from malts. There's a touch of earthiness from something of a floral character. Bitterness, while not particularly high for an IPA, does linger well into the finish at the back of the throat. "Balance" doesn't mean bad for an IPA. Everything needs to be kept in check, and this beer does a good job of that.
Fairly fluffy in the mouth, this beer rides off an early and constant crispness into a nice smoothness supported by a medium body.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 16:40:51 | More by Brenden

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.43/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

The label warns me that thi IPA is well-balanced and on the fringe for the west coast style with subtle hopping. Oh dear.

Pouring a clear copper with a dense, white head with excellent retention and very nice lacing, this looks great. The nose lives up to the label. Pine, grapefruit (Cascades?) aroma hops with minimal bitterness, a moderately chalky character (Cascades?), a mildly bready rye character and a moderate sweetness. The palate has a blend of mild caramel sweetness, a rye spice, a mild hop bitterness that's got a little bit of pine and some grapefruit, and some hop flavor as well. Moderately sweet on the finish with a smooth, waxy character (from the rye?), this beer is medium in body, moderately carbonated and pleasant on the finish. Despite being in a style I don't care for, this is a reasonably well done IPA which I am quite liking more than I thought I would.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 07:07:19 | More by DefenCorps

ocelot2500

Arizona

3.08/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly hazy, sunburst orange with a frothy white head that leaves little bits of lacing.

Smells of faint citrus hops.

Tastes of a good wave of hops upfront with a decent malt backbone. Hops lead off with a little bit of citrus and some floral notes. Moderately bitter. Malts come in faintly on the backend with a little caramel sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium with a slightly smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall this was just okay and doesn't really stand out to me.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 03:08:36 | More by ocelot2500

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle at that bottle shop in San Clemente El Camino Real that doesn't put prices on their bottles of beer.

Poured out an amazingly beautiful orange glow. So many great ipas are this color, the head was a sturdy 1" with pretty good retention and decent lacing.

Aroma was not nearly as impressive. Has a soapy bitterness going for it, far from juicy hop vibe going on here. Its pretty underwhelming in the aroma department, falls squarely into the average category, but is actually less than average if you were to consider its aroma solely within the province of SoCal ipa if it were a style.

Taste, mostly all bitterness, minimal malt flavors, minimal hop flavors actually too, its just got this bitterness that dominates the entire flavor profile. At this point, I started to wonder if this was called Coulter IPA because of the Ann Coulter connection. . . hey its California, she's not real popular there, and I could see it rationalized like this: This beer is intentionally one dimensional, very bitter, without much substance, but it looks pretty from a far, but upon closer inspection, isn't so great.

Anyways, I found out by reading the back of the label that it is named after a tree in the area, so that's the end of that. Mouthfeel was bitter, as you get acclimated to the bitterness, you can actually start pulling taste and mouthfeel of the rye in it (I think) which would explain how it had better head retention.

Overall, it became a decent ipa, but not something I would pay almost $6 for a bottle for again.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 23:42:16 | More by Beerandraiderfan

seagullbeer

California

3.71/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.75

had it out of a bottle at a park. i think the fridge at the store was wonky cause my friends and my beers were all a bit flat...

tasted pretty good. solid crisp clean ipa. not too much going on but had a great piney flavor. had lots of sides of bitter not to malty. a solid ipa. sort of what i would expect from ipas always nice to have a brew thats clean and bitter without to much sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 05:08:17 | More by seagullbeer

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

4.23/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours out a nice, clear orange. The head and lace are very nice, about two inches of nice.

Great orange presence up front on the smell. Caramel and rye follow with hints of floral and pine hops.

Tons of orange and rye up front. Caramel smooths it out a bit. Grass and floral hops follow. Nice, unique taste. Goes down smooth with a medium body, a tad heavy on carbonation.

Great IPA. Interested in trying more from the brewery!

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 23:13:05 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

largadeer

Kentucky

2.25/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

New brewery to the bay area. Grabbed a bottle on a whim. No freshness date, but it hasn't been on shelves more than 2 weeks.

Appearance: Medium-to-dark amber with a slight haze. Pours with a dense two finger head that retains nicely, leaving rings of lacing as it settles. Nice looking beer.

Smell: Sweet orange flesh, rye bread, a hint of pine. Moderate malt sweetness - has a bit of a candied orange quality to it. Nothing jumps out much - pretty underwhelming. As it warms, it begins to smell more like mediocre homebrew.

Taste & mouthfeel: Pine, orange flesh, and oxidation. Earthy rye, a little spiciness from the hops. The finish has a surprising amount of cardboard-like oxidation to it - not old bottle oxidation, more like something went wrong during brewing or packaging. Bitterness is reigned-in in a pleasant way, and the malt bill is nice too - I like the touch of rye and subtle sweetness.

Overall: If this didn't have pervasive off-flavors it would be a decent beer. As it stands, I can't recommend this and probably won't finish the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 06:44:23 | More by largadeer

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

2.14/5  rDev -40.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A non BA buddy from the west coast sent this along in a recent box.

Aggressive (overly) head builds in the glass. Impressive retention on the head as it is almost like a whipped cream. Deep orange/amber in color.

Aroma has a hint of medicinal notes and smells like an early homebrew of mine. (that’s not a good thing) Some plastic.

Sadly the flavor follows the aroma here and seems to have some off flavors. Medicinal, black pepper and a strong bitter hop finish. Nothing particularly fresh about the hop flavors

Pin point carbonation and a bit prickly on the tongue.

Quite frankly, in the year 2013 this beer should not be on the market. Not even close.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 03:12:13 | More by Reagan1984

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Received as an extra in a trade and poured in to my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a slightly hazy coppery orange hue with a one finger of white head that is somehow both fizzy and creamy. No real lacing and left a soapy mess of retention.

S - Unsure of the freshness here, probably not super fresh just as the main aroma here is light caramel and sweet malts. Getting super faint hops, mostly pine. No real citrus or tropics like someone else mentioned.

T - Taste is similar to the nose with just a bit more hops coming out. Almost bubblegum and faint older tropics. Still, mostly just sweet malts here. Unfortunate.

M - Mouthfeel is good for an IPA, nice bright carbonation here.

O - Overall, this is a fairly mediocre beer here. Perhaps fresh it would be something but as it stands this is yah...a few steps above "average".

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 04:23:42 | More by rudzud

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours yellow with lace sheets. Oddly little aroma in my Samuel Adams engineered glass. Medium mouth feel, a little numbing. Reasonable IBU of 65, and good drink ability. Piney hops, herbal mint character.More of an amber ale. Bottle courtesy Ron Brandt.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 13:59:16 | More by northyorksammy

popery

California

3.63/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours cloudy and amber brown. I tried to be gentle with the bottle, but the lees kicked up very easily. Subdued aroma. There's an odd yeasty note with some nice caramel malt and a floral/tropical hoppiness in the background. I'd prefer to see the hop aroma amped up. Some mineral flavor. Conversely, I quite like the taste. It's gentle and very pleasant. Nice honey-ish caramel malt flavor. Lots of hop flavor with more pine than the aroma. Still some not so great mineral flavor and that odd yeast note. Bitterness is a bit harsh. Mouthfeel is creamy. A little harsh on the finish. It's a pretty good beer. Nice to see a California brewer go for a more balanced IPA, but it's just not my preference, and the beer could use more aroma, regardless.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 05:05:41 | More by popery

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a hazy golden-orange with a finger of frothy slightly off-white head. The head fades down at a fairly slow pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of grapefruit, tropical, citrus, and pine hops with some sweet caramel and bready malts.

T - Starts off with grapefruit, tropical, and citrus hops with some bitterness and sweet caramel malts. Through the middle, some pine hops and some more resiny bitterness. The finish is a mix of grapefruit and pine hops with some sweet caramel and bready malts.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a dry and bitter finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice hop profile and bitterness throughout. Good hop and malt balance as well.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 04:48:42 | More by ngeunit1

elNopalero

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This poured an intense dark-amber with a golden hue, topped by big gloppy bubbles. It had a slight piney hop aroma with a light orange note around the edges.

The flavor has an upfront bitterness and a pronounced malt backbone. There’s a lot of pine and resin and it finishes dry, almost like a barleywine in its sweetness. More bittering hops than aromatic or flavor. Decent but nothing spectacular in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 18:52:46 | More by elNopalero

UCLABrewN84

California

3.63/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Tony's Darts Away in Burbank, CA.

Pours a murky honey orange with a beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. A foamy curtain of lace forms on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of citrus fruit, citrus zest, and malt. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a medium amount of bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but it smells better than it tastes in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2012 05:24:50 | More by UCLABrewN84

Nugganooch

California

3.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at Stone Bistro
05-10-12

*Served in a Tulip

A: Pours a completely hazed over deep caramel amber color. Good finger thick of near white foam atop. Decent retention that leaves some tracked lacing down the glass.

S: Smells of slightly sweetened bready pale malts with some light citrus and pine notes. A dash of caramel.

T: Flavor has a bit more of that sweet caramel malt pronounced with a decent and moderate amount of bitterness there. I get a nice mixture of hoppy evergreens, tangerine/orange peel, and some light florals. Substantial malt breadiness throughout. Light alcohol kick in the end. Not a bad IPA by any means.

M: Feel starts off creamy with a medium sized body and nice drying in the finish that leaves a residual oily hop linger across the palate.

D: Decent drinkability on this one. A touch heavier on the caramel sweetness than I prefer in my IPA's but still has a solid hop dosing to counter. Would have preferred they scale back the Crystal malts here. Better options out there but nice to have tried.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2012 17:03:24 | More by Nugganooch

DrFayhee

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Amber-golden color, medium head with minimal lacing.
S: A bit of funky soap and vinegar actually. Alcohol comes through too.
T: Dry hoppy flavors with some pine notes.
M: Medium carbonation and body. Dry finish.
O: A pretty solid IPA - maybe a little too heavy on the pine and not enough fruitiness.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 03:47:32 | More by DrFayhee

FosterJM

California

4.2/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1194th Review on BA
Bottle to Bruery Tulip

Shared with GuruDel

App- A medium colored orange with some good looking yellow highlights. Sits a bit still in the glass with a soft 1/2 finger of off white head. Minimal cling.

Smell- A large citrus and floral note on this one. Very orange and hop forward. Nice balance with some layered aromatic malts and a little bitter on the nose.

Taste- A well done west coast IPA. Big hops on this with some great citrus. Not overly in your face and was even a small bit earthy which combined with the citrus created a nice depth of flavor.

Mouth- A smaller medium body with a nice light medium carbonation. A little bubbly and left a good citrus flavor behind.

Drink- This is a good little IPA. Big ABV is well hidden and its got a great balance to it. Would like another bottle at some point.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 16:11:53 | More by FosterJM

kevanb

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

An aggressive pour shows off a wonderful honey colored beer with orange and brown hints coming through the light that yields a ample single finger of bone colored head atop the glass that has great retention and superb lacing. The nose is very pleasant, mild citrus greats you but quickly gives way to a stronger and earthier mix of aromas. Sappy resinous pine is very prevalent as are some grassy notes that play well with the strong malt presence, the rye is definitely a player here and melds nicely with the earthier notes. The flavors are very complimentary to the nose, very mild hop bitterness, lots of pine and sappy flavors, some faint citrus brightens the flavor a bit, but the malt really takes over at the end. Strong caramel malt flavors blend well with the deeper, earthier hop flavors and the rye definitely adds a nice prickly element with some nice soft grain at the finish. The body is nice and full and with the remnants of the head, almost creamy.

Verdict: Solid IPA from Cismontane. The flavors are balanced, but definitely on the maltier side, which isn’t unwelcome at all. While it’s not an overpowering IPA like many from this region, it remains extremely drinkable and pleasant from start to finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 05:17:01 | More by kevanb

soughtbygod

California

3.98/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

pours a dark translucent amber with a slightly off white creamy head that i attribute to the rye they mention is in the ipa.

the smell is that of a west coast ipa, hops, grass, lemon smells lighter than it looks

taste doesnt follow the nose i expected more hops, very smooth though, i definitely pick up the rye, it sits pretty heavy on the sides of the tongue.

overall a decent beer, i think it would make a great go to beer if nothing else was available, or if it came in six packs it would be a great sixer to grab for a get together. i will drink it again

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 02:06:45 | More by soughtbygod

jcomp21

California

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - beautiful amber deep golden look. Very clear and lots of bubbles coming up from the bottom. Great white head, very tight foam.

S - this beer smells amazing. Alot of grapefruit and mangos. A small bit of pine. Very nice and juicy

T- On the front this beer was juicy and citrus flavored, unfortunately it left a lingering bitter finish. Just kind of spicy and bitter, too much for me for an IPA.

M- Mouthfeel was decent, i felt a bit watery

Overall I give this beer a 3.5, better than average

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 00:43:43 | More by jcomp21

ehammond1

California

3.38/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On Tap

Blind Lady Ale House
San Diego, CA

Murky orange and nearly brown, at least in this lighting, with a moderately sized, tight off-white head that leaves lines of lacing down the glass.

Bready and sweet aroma, with some grapefruit and pine as well, along with a bit of alcohol presence.

The flavor is a combination of grapefruit and relatively high bitterness, along with lots of bread and sweet malt backbone. There's also a pretty strong alcohol sharpness that isn't at all welcoming. Overall, only average.

Medium bodied with ample carbonation.

Too malty, bready, and sweet for my liking, though I still think it was probably the best beer on tap that night, save for Racer 5.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2012 17:36:59 | More by ehammond1