Spiral Jetty - Epic Brewing Co.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber from NJ. pours unfiltered light grapefruit colour, slight off-white head, and lacey. Neutral aroma. average mouthfeel. Appropriate mouthfeel. Not initially drinkable, but over a long warm Fall night (yes it gets warm here sometimes) the light grapefruit, moderately hoppy beer, went down nicely. Kind of middling for the style though.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 03:46:27 | More by northyorksammy

brentk56

North Carolina

2.78/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy honey color with an inch of foam; the retention is decent and a smattering of lace is left behind

Smell: The malt is as prominent on the nose as the hops, with a grainy, haylike character; the hops are earthy and piney

Taste: The grainy malt flavors dominate the front end, but once the hops get going they dominate the profile, bringing piney and earthy flavors that end up being rather astringent

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: I have tasted a lot of IPAs and it is rare that I come across one where I dislike both the malt and the hop flavors - this one has very little to commend it

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 02:00:01 | More by brentk56

oberon

North Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I have to drink my anger away after watching a disgusting display of officiating in Iowa City today.Poured into an imperial pint glass a hazed peach color with a nice tight 1/2 finger clingy white head.Aromas of tangerines and light grapefruit intmingled with caramel/biscuit malt,not overly assertive but decent.A little light in the mouth and not overly assertive hops makes again for a decent beer but not great by any means.Fruity hop flavors and not overly bitter.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 19:37:19 | More by oberon

metter98

New York

3.35/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: The beer is clear pale yellow in color and has no visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high white head that left a thin film of bubbles covering the surface and a thick ring around the edge of the glass.
S: There are moderate aromas of citrus hops in the nose—orange and grapefruit seem to stand out in particular.
T: The taste is similar to the smell with flavors of citrusy hops along with hints of caramel malts. There is a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little thin on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. No crispness is evident.
O: There is nothing special about this beer but it goes down rather easily.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 01:38:29 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.83/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A vigorous steady pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip produces a three finger thick, pale tan tinged head that leaves some wispy lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a dark copper-amber color that shows an almost clear, gold tinged, pale copper hue. The aroma smells of ample hops that is backed by a hay like, threshed grain like character. Specific notes of lime zest, wheat thins like grain (this is quite distinct), a sort of mint, herbal note, lots of cracker like grain notes, and just a general big citrus zest note that is quite distinct, but I can’t quite place it (ponzu, pomelo and lime juice). This is quite malt accented for an IPA, it is still hoppy, but I was expecting a full on hop onslaught.

Somewhat light bodied, which is exactly what I want in an IPA, there is a distinct, biting bitterness that has quite a bit of mintiness to it. There is a definite menthol character that lingers on the palate along with an astringent hop bite; though in truth the hop character is quite clean, meaning this does not have the raw hoppiness that some of the more aggressive IPAs have. The minty character mixes with a bright citrus character that leans towards tangelo, Curacao Orange zest and there is also a bit of dank hop character that really tastes distinctly of earthy, herbal freshly crushed hemp seeds. The malt isn’t quite as apparent as in the nose, but there is still easily apparent notes of dried hay / grass, cracker like malt, and just a general, fairly bit, fresh pale malt character.

This could use a bit more hop character, well if you are a raging hop head at least, but it is actually quite good anyway. I like that the crystal malt notes are kept to a low level here, this has more pale malt flavors than anything. Given my individual impressions of this beer, I wouldn’t expect to like this beer nearly as much as I do, but somehow the composition just works here; the flavor definitely works better than the nose though, the latter being a bit too malt dominated.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 14:12:13 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

4.03/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours a light amber with a medium white head, solid lacing and head retention.

S: Sweet citrus, orange and pineapple. Fragant hoppy nose.

T: Meyer lemon, with some sweet pine, pineapple and tangerine. Appealing hop flavours, never that bitter.

M: Medium-bodied, soft and frothy, easy drinking.

O: This IPA is not an assualt on the palate, yet the flavours are vibrant and delicious. Well made, great price, it's nice to see a new IPA on the market and have it be sub-$4 a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 02:32:32 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a hazy golden yellow almost orange color with a thick 3" head. Nice lacing develops.

Smell: loads of grapefruit and orange with a bit of a floral aroma.

Taste: caramel, orange, grapefruit, golden apple, and a floral hop bitterness creates a basic but flavorful IPA.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Crisp from start to finish with a hint of dryness late. Aftertaste is short lived and citrus focused.

Overall: a decent IPA that hits the spot. Just what one expects and it delivers.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 17:39:09 | More by Gavage

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This label says to discover the three levels of Epic Brewing: Classic, Elevated, and Exponential. This beer around 5.50 a bomber at least according to Ohio pricing seems fair for an IPA. Pours a clouded orange hue with a bright white head forming thick and leaving behind some even lacing. Aroma has a strong citrus pith accent with white cranberry/apricot jelly notes. Spicy hops, fruitiness, and citrus are the three components I'm smelling during the initial whiff stage. As I dive into my first sip of this "Epic" Spiral Jetty IPA, more citrus rind bitterness, a hint of yeast spiciness, leading to a dry finish. More biscuit malts with hints of citrus pith, turning into a decent IPA. Mouthfeel drying finish with biscuit malt profile even keeled carbonation nice finishing medium bodied drinking IPA. Solid IPA not earth shattering West Coast I must kill for this beer but good flavors and interesting enough to keep my drinking.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 21:05:48 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Beer #63 in my great Utah Brew Hunt.

The thing I find most odd about this beer is the burning boozy tone to it. Which seems out of place for only a 6.6% beer.

The flavor profile is nice and hoppy with good spicy tones to it and an earthy body. Unfortunately, that alcohol burn really just kills the whole thing. A shame really. At first I was thinking that this was a pretty nice beer. But the burn killed it.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 03:38:58 | More by RblWthACoz

Wasatch

Utah

2/5  rDev -40.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

22oz. Bomber
Classic Series
$3.79 ea.

Pours a cloudy yellow color, carbonation, creamy off-white head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is hoppy, with a slight malt note, citrus. The taste is hoppy, slight malt note, citrus. Medium body, the finish is dry and bitter. Barely Drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2010 22:02:31 | More by Wasatch

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Murky and thick looking mess....but a beautiful mess. Glowing orange body with a decent cap of dirty white head. Aroma is nice and pungent. And resiny as well. Those are the two characteristics that stand out the most. A little pine as well. The pine comes through more strongly on the palate. Interesting flavor. Pretty heavy with pine resin and pine needle, but solid. Bacbone of caramel malt stands firm. Medium-full body and moderately carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 04:10:14 | More by Bighuge

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +25.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy dark golden orange color with golden yellowish hues when held to a light and a two finger frothy white head that has excellent retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap. Large chunks of soapy lacing are left behind.

Sweet citrus hop aroma with lots of floral notes and resinous oils. Earthy with hints of pine and sticky buds but the nose of this beer is full of sweet tropical and citrus fruit. Lots of grapefruit and pineapple along with some lemon and orange peel. Faint grainy, biscuit malt presence underneath.

Medium bodied with a blast of bitter earthy hops up front but the dryness is quickly countered by sweet citrus notes, pale malt and alcohol heat. Floral and earthy up front with lots of dry, sticky pine flavor that lingers over the sweeter notes into the finish. Lots of sweet fruit notes mid-palate from the hops giving off hints of pineapple, grapefruit, mango and orange peel. Underneath there is a subtle grainy malt presence with biscuit and faint graham cracker notes. Some alcohol heat/boozy sweetness toward the end of the palate. Very well balanced and easy to drink. I'm happy that I found this one. Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 06:34:29 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.1/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Good looking copper colored beer, 3/4" white head on the top. Really white, whiter than normal for an ipa. Aroma, eh, for boasting about a five hop variety, its kind of hard to tell this was dry hopped with anything, much less five different kinds. It wasn't offputting, it frankly just smelled like a normal Cascade hopped pale ale from back in the 90s.

Taste, again, hops aren't really all that special in this beer. Good caramel presence, hop bitterness is all I can really detect going on in a good way. I didn't get any fruit, be it tropical or citrus flavors from the hops. No bottle dating, so maybe that may have been the problem, but maybe they should bottle date? I dunno. In my experience, this undated bottle was pretty much middle ground to average. I've had some people talk up Epic's stuff, but I really haven't been super impressed, in fact, given the price of some of their stuff (not this one), I have actually been disappointed at times.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 23:37:31 | More by Beerandraiderfan

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Beautiful bright tangerine orange is capped off by a egg shell white frothy head that is resilient in stay. Tiny jet streams of micro-bubbles compose a slow and steady conga line of carbonation bubbles slowly snaking their way to the surface. The lacing is kept to a minimal with small speckled remains dotted across the glass on the coverage.

S: A bit underwhelming in both strength and complexity for aroma. Fresh oranges manages to squeeze out along with some light hints of grapefruit juice intermingling among some fresh wet greenery.

T: Strong hopping flavor-wise of dry flowery citrus, pine and dry grapefruit. Grassy tones come on the close out. Toasty orange peels, with a bit of spiciness, mandarin orange, and lemons come with a toasty bread malting that was hard to appreciate from the high level of hoppines.

M: Strong, perhaps its best point is full bodied with a good presence of tingling carbonation. Dry grapefruit pulp is left behind.

O: Overall a mouth puckering and dry hop experience, that will give the tongue a workout. High level of hoppiness is blunt, however seems to overshadow the smaller aspects of the drink and doesn’t leave much in the way of complexity instead of a powerful punch of citrus to the taste buds. Typical flavor, strong hopping, though doesn’t necessarily make for an interesting flavor that will keep me drinking only for shock value sake. Great if you’re a knockout ipa type of guy, a bit more less if your looking for some complexity among your hops and balance drinkability wise.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 01:49:07 | More by beerthulhu

JohnGalt1

Idaho

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

22 picked up at Brewforia a few days ago... poured into my Old Guardian Goblet... 1" tight white head... nice lacing.. the brew is very hazy deep golden..

nose shows a fair amount of citrus with more than expected pale maltiness... pretty fruity..

The malt seems too much really... or maybe this could be an older bottle?? Descent bitter hop bit up front moves into a sorta muddy citrus/pale malt mash-up mid palate... body also seems too thick.. but the carbonation is about right.

Mehh... good... not great...

4/3.5/3.5/3/3.5

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 06:10:29 | More by JohnGalt1

mactrail

California

4.38/5  rDev +29.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thoroughly interesting IPA. More on the mellow side, and a refreshing change from the armament race of the hop warhead brewers. Floral scent with resiny notes and warm pine needles.

Lovely golden amber with a touch of orange in the tall Petrus tulip. Foamy cap lasts well. Fills the mouth with a warm, spicy flavor. Lots of malt but just sweet enough to balance the hops. Taste of crackers with cracked wheat. A little citrus rind and the sweet hint of orange marmalade.

This must be one of my top favorite IPAs I've tried to take notes on. Full disclosure is I'm not a big IPA fan, so I enjoy this one for its sudsiness, attractive appearance, and mellow, aromatic hoppiness combined with a less intense bitterness. From the 22 oz bottle purchased in Washington, DC, so it must travel well.

For Utah beer appreciators, Epic Brewing is a cool breeze down Cottonwood Canyon on a scorching day.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 02:19:32 | More by mactrail

avalon07

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a yellow-orange color and a cloudy conistency. There as an inch of foamy, somewhat long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: Smelled mainly of hops, citrus, and malt. A typical IPA.

T: Tasted hops, malt, citrus (lemon), and slightly soapy quality as well. This last element does not do the beer any favors, but on the whole a solid flavor.

M: A fair amount of carbonation with a dry, bitter finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Not a bad beer, but not one I'd regularly return to.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 19:46:03 | More by avalon07

smakawhat

Maryland

2.33/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

Pale gold/lemon body, boy that's a first for me for an IPA, this looks more like a Belgian pale ale or tripel. Body is cloudy and dull. A good simple off white head, bubbles seem to be a little un-uniform slow descending falling head, and some spotty lacing. Some good retention but head never stays bigger than a finger. That body color just throws me too, I've never seen an American IPA that light before.

Bouquet is non existent. There's maybe a faint sense of malt grain but that's it, not even a hop presence. Not really feeling this at all. There is really nothing going on here and for an IPA I have to score that below average. If I can't even smell a STRONG hop then what exactly are you doing seriously?

Does taste improve? This is a weird one, I'll give it some unique quality points but man I don't like it. Strange mushy and weak bodied fruit that I can't pinpoint. No hop presence as predicted from the nose in the mid palate. Afterwards then comes out in the swallow some hop but feels stuck and sort of lifeless. Can't even detect profile, pine no, fruit citrus angle no, sweetness no... just.. not even bitter.. nothing stands out it's as if this beer isn't even trying.

Overall this is just a weird one and I am not getting this angle at all. Luckily there are so many other better IPAs out there.. so many... this is not one of them.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 00:36:23 | More by smakawhat

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a slightly hazy dark gold color with about an inch frothy off-white head. The head stays around a long time, and there's also a good amount of lacing left behind on the glass. The brew smells mostly like pine and citrusy hops (grapefruit, lemon peel), along with some caramel and bready malt. I think the taste is pretty much just like the aroma, but I think the hoppy and malty flavors are well balanced overall. There's also a lingering bitter finish. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's a bit slick and is well carbonated. It's also smooth and easy to drink, I think it's a solid brew. This IPA isn't going to blow you away with hops, but I liked it. Not bad for $4.99 a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 22:06:30 | More by bluejacket74

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.91/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

a hopelessly underrated ipa. this is a fantastic bottle of brew. pours really cloudy, bright orange in color, rusty looking, with a luxurious snow white head with fine retention. the nose is bitter and woody, not as resinous as the other epic india pales, but still quite dank on the hop front. some English malt in the mix of body and sweetness is the first flavor to reach the taste buds, but its short lived, as the hops assault comes on quickly. the hops are pine family mostly, sappy and west coast style, but they aren't out of balance here. yes this is a bitter beer, very very bitter, but the malt rounds it out nicely, and the yeast used adds a unique character. this beer is bakery fresh, and stays on the tongue a long time after its swallowed. powerful enough to handle spicy food, big enough to enhance a steak, and drinkable enough to have a few bombers. this is quite the versatile ipa. fully carbonated, its pretty fizzy, but the full body almost needs it. I was very impressed by this because its something a little different. epic really seems to have the ipa genre dialed, and all three of the versions ive had have been outstanding. I still reckon the hopulent is the pick, but the spiral jetty here deserves some more recognition, it is extraordinarily well made.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 17:43:26 | More by StonedTrippin

tdm168

North Carolina

3.46/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - bright orange with a thin, short lived white head

S - piny; incredibly faint nose

T - bready, citrusy, piny

M - well carbonated, thin, light to medium bodied, dry

When I first opened this beer, it was incredibly dry. There was a ton of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. The dryness practically stripped the flavor clean of my palate. Once the beer settled, it came across as less dry, but as it turned out there wasn't much flavor to hide. The flavor was simple and refreshing, but ultimately incredibly underwhelming. This was a rather forgettable IPA, one that I won't be buying again.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 00:35:56 | More by tdm168

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a crystal clear pale golden orange in color. The beer has a half finger tall light beige head that reduces to a very thin layer over the entire surface of the beer with some thicker patches and a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant lacing is observed.

S: Overall pretty light and nothing special about the aroma. The aroma is dominated by the hops - mostly citrus with a very light hint of floral hops. There is some light amounts of biscuit malts as well.

T: Definitely the flavor is dominated by the hops but there is a decent amount of biscuity malt flavors as well. The hops are not overly bitter but I can definitely detect the presence of mostly citrus hop with some subtle hints of floral hops.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly thin/watery and no crispness.

O: Very easy to drink and quite refreshing but not one of the best I have had in this style (even from this brewery) - a pretty average beer. Could easily be a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 00:34:39 | More by dbrauneis

DavoleBomb

Ohio

1.88/5  rDev -44.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured into a pint glass.

4.0 A: Lightly hazed, bright deep yellow color. Three fingers of frothy off-white head. Retention is good and plenty of lacing is left.

2.0 S: Dank and somewhat catty. Yeasty breadiness. Not a lot from the hops and almost nothing from the malts.

1.5 T: While the nose was bad for being overly boring, the taste is bad for its contents. Catty, lightly soapy, and notes of plastic. The only other major flavor is yeasty breadiness. Mild bitterness with some herbal flavor.

2.0 M: Lighter body. Too much carbonation. Lacking creaminess, but is chewy from the yeast.

2.0 T: This is a bad beer. Epic has been doing really well, but I see they still have some stinkers to deal with.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 01:33:29 | More by DavoleBomb

emmasdad

Colorado

3.33/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked this one up at the Utah State Liquor Store in St. George, Utah, based on the surprisingly low price (less than 4 bucks for the bomber). Poured a hazy golden color with a nice white head. Aromas of citrus, light malt and pine. On the palate, medium bodied, with flavors of light malt and pine/citrus.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2011 03:43:46 | More by emmasdad

morimech

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Golden color with some chill haze. Two fingers of head forms and then settling to a thick cap. Light lacing is left behind.

Faint hop aromas of citrus and herbs. Bready malts as well.

Malt flavor is dominant with a rather subdued citrus/herbal hop flavor. Nothing wrong but the brewer did not set the bar very high.

Solid body and nicely carbonated.

Lacks the hop presence to be a good American IPA. If they labeled this an APA it would get a solid score. Priced the same as Arrogant Bastard. Guess which beer I will grab next time?

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 21:21:58 | More by morimech