Pegasus IPA - Argus Brewery

alleykatking

Indiana

1.65/5  rDev -48.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Had on tap....

So you are going to name your beer after the mighty Pegasus huh? That winged horse had a lot of Greek mythology backing it up. Lets see if these brewers had enough knowledge to back up this devine name of a beer.

A- Pegasus was a white horse...unlike this beer which was more of reddish coppery color. Maybe it's trying to look more along the lines of the blood that was spilt when Perseus beheaded Medusa from which Pegasus sprang forth? I'm guessing no on that one. It did have a one finger white head though that showed medium retention. Some light streaks of lace on the glass made me realize that if Zeus was drinking this beer he sure as hell wouldn't have put it in the sky as a constellation.

S- Hint of tropical hops in the front. This is quickly left behind as caramel malts with light toasted malts (must be from carrying Zeus's lightning bolts for so long)making up most of the actual aroma. The aroma is very muted dare I say a little watered down (I suppose that's what you get for hanging out with Poseidon). Alcohol really isn't there as well.

T- I wasn't too keen on tasting it to be honest at this point. I mean everywhere the winged horse struck his hoof to the earth, an inspiring spring burst forth. If that's not screaming watered down I don't know what is. Just like I thought....initial sip is light watery citrus hops. This fades quickly to a caramel malt body that dominates the rest of the beer like Bellerophon did to the Chimera while riding Pegasus. Some hints of toasted malt and light bittering hops in the ending don't make up for the lack of really any flavor at all. Alcohol is actually quite noticable in the end being a little on the medicinal side.

M- Light medium mouthfeel. Carbonation is a little on the low side. Light caramel malts and hints of hops left on the palate show up once again in the aftertaste with more of a medicinal alcohol lingering. Flavors were very weak for the style and didn't hold up (unlike the mythology of the actual Pegasus...I mean come one look at the stars). No real off flavors just watery (which I guess they used as a tribute to Pegasus). Light alcohol drying on the palate.

O- I think the beer name should have been looked at again. I could see it being called Icarus for example. I mean they set their sites high I would guess with this beer but it just fell to its death quite quickly. Oddly enough the story of Icarus deals with water as well...just like this watered down IPA. Nice try but a insult overall I feel to the Pegasus legacy.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2011 09:33:55 | More by alleykatking

benewton

Illinois

2.05/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

1/2 in. head-not bad.

it's color wants desperately to be bronze, but isn't.

i'm from chicago. i love all of the craft breweries opening up, and, needless to say, i pick them all up. but, this is the weakest craft brew by far.

if this was marketed as a weak amber ale with a slight hop finish, i might be less inclined to dislike it. i just don't sense any IPA qualities.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 03:01:01 | More by benewton

wmtxbb

Illinois

2.25/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Bottle poured into pint glass

Appearance: Really sad. It's a clear amber with no head to speak of. Sort of looks like soda.

Smell: Weird light metallic scent. Hops and malt scent are also very light. So far this brew is striking out.

Taste: Tastes kind of like soy sauce, paper, hops, mixed in with an amber beer. On a second taste, it sort of tastes like tea might be in this beer. Hops give the beer a citrus/grapefruit and earthy flavor.

Drinkability: I really wanted to like this beer. I'm from chicago and I love seeing new craft breweries set up so I was quick to buy this when I found out about it. But I'm really disappointed in this beer. It's not a bad beer, but it is a less than average quality beer. It's not that this beer needs more malt character or hops, it needs to be re-evaluated completely. I would even say this is a good first try. If I'd made this at home I toss the whole batch.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 22:43:31 | More by wmtxbb

homebrew311

Illinois

2.4/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: pours a dark cloudy amber, very dark for style, minimal head

S: earthy piney hops, a bit of astringency, kind of boozy... But the abv is on 5.8

T: bitter hops, no malt backbone, tea like flavors, finish is bitter

Mf: medium body, medium carbonation

O: this is a poorly executed ipa, the srm is way off, it is overly bitter and poorly balanced

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 18:53:44 | More by homebrew311

iota

Illinois

2.48/5  rDev -23%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Tried on a Whim at Ballydoyle Pub. Chicago has better breweries.

A- Somewhere between amber and orange, decent 1 inch head

S- Almost no hop aroma, dunked my nose trying to catch a whiff of hops.

T- More pale ale than IPA; average hop flavor bookended by underwhelming malt. Slight hop aftertaste.

M- Aggressive initial carbonation gives way to light (perhaps "smooth") mouthful.

D- Average Pale Ale (I really wouldn't class this as an IPA). definitely drinkable, but anything by Two Brothers is a much better option : )

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2011 23:05:32 | More by iota

jwinship83

Illinois

2.88/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle picked up and drank as soon as the bottles hit the shelves in chicago. always excited to try another local IPA. drank out of my sierra nevada hop tulip glass.

A- this one pours out a darker than expected translucent reddish amber colored body with a small eggshell colored head on top. the head is quick to fade and leaves behind random spots of lacing.

S- sweet caramel malts are the first things that i notice. after that comes some traces of hops. a little bit of floral and a tiny touch of grapefruit. not really what i was hoping for.

T- the caramel malt comes on strong. probably a little too strong given the hop profile. a little bit of floral and grapefruit. sadly in balance.

M- medium bodied. highly carbonated. little flavor left behind after i swallow.

D- this wasnt what i was after at all. i probably wont be checking it out again.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2010 22:58:59 | More by jwinship83

beereality

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A vigorous pour produces a nice big frothy white head over what looks to be a red ale. Head dissipates quickly. Smells nice, kind of light pine, but not a big nose on this one. Head completely disappears before I can get my lips to this one. Very light flavor, not a big hop presence(too bad) almost macro like. Crisp and light. I think this would make a good lawn mower beer. Not to light and most certainly not to heavy. Not as hoppy as I like, but drinkable. A big thank you goes out to Lucas at Malloy's for this sample.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 22:37:51 | More by beereality

GbVDave

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a 20oz imperial pint. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

A: Pours a striking dark ruby with two fingers of sticky, rocky head. Retention was excellent with a small amount of lace left behind.

S: Lots of caramel and toasted grains. Very malt forward. The hops that struggle through smell quite medicinal.

T: Just as above. Aspirin-y hops and loads of sweet caramel and toasty malt.

M: Very smooth with nary a trace of hoppy bite.

O: We couldn't get over how totally average this beer was. Seemed to patterned after mid-1990's IPA's that were put out by now shuttered breweries. Sorry guys, but the bar has been raised considerably...get with the program.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 00:34:35 | More by GbVDave

emerge077

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Finally found a single of this at R & J Liquors in Algonquin.
"1339" Julian date inked on the bottom of the bottle, roughly 3 months old.

Served in a tulip glass, it glows a dark crystalline copper color. An initial head of foam, fairly thin and feeble, forming a collar around the edges. Perfectly transparent despite the deep saturated color, darker than most IPAs.

Bready and malty aroma with some vegetal traces that may have once been hops. Subdued and fairly dull for an "American IPA", if English i'd take it, but this is just weak.

Caramel and toast, light indistinct notes of dried fruit. Very slight residual bitterness, as if designed for mass appeal instead of IPA fans. Fairly light and smooth, malt dominated, light carbonation like an ESB or English Pale.

From the label notes it sounds like they just tweaked a recipe from Smugglers Brewpub. Not surprising really... not much about this stands out, but there are few flaws other than lack of hops.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 03:30:49 | More by emerge077

yeahnatenelson

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance -- Pours a ruby red with pink and gold highlights and a finger of sudsy beige head.

Smell -- Tropical fruits, mild earthy bitterness, toasted malt, a dab of caramel sweetness.

Taste -- Grapefruit and pineapple up front along with dry and toasty malt. The hop bitterness is pretty significant in the mid-palate. Pine resin and caramel malt in the finish.

Mouthfeel -- Medium-bodied, moderate prickly carbonation. Finish is clean, a bit dry.

Drinkability -- Noble first effort for a new Chicago brewery. Definitely worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 02:24:13 | More by yeahnatenelson

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appears a transparent amber with a small white cap that slowly fades into a mild cap. Spotty bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of perfumy, herbal, spiced hops.
Taste is very mild with notes of toasted nuts pulling through with cracked grains and cereal. I thought it was a decent beer but I was looking for a more complex beer being that this beer is based off of a Colorado brewery's recipe.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2010 16:52:07 | More by weeare138

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The color is a dep copper and amber hue with a little ruby darkening the color palate. There's very little bubbling and just a little head and residual foam.

Nice malty IPA aroma. The heavy toasted malt makes me think of caramel drizzled sweet bread. The mild bitter orange peel adds nice contrast to the sweet malty aroma.

Syrupy orange, hop resin that gets musked up by a little B.O. in the tongue. Not overwhelming, the B.O. flavor, just subtlely off-putting. The middle and finish is all caramel malt, sweet biscuits, and Wonderbread crust finish this AIPA off with a sweet finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 01:49:44 | More by scruffwhor

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a flared pokal at Bliss.

After this second offering, I wonder if we're gonna be seeing more of Argus here at Bliss in the future...? Regardless, this stuff pours a clear orange-brass topped by a finger of dirty white foam. The nose comprises honeydew rind, mentholated pine, toffee, and a touch of buttery biscuit. The taste brings in more of the same, with the toffee taking on more of a rich caramel character, which comes fairly close to balancing the hops completely. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, a pretty decent IPA, straight up, just nothing all that impressive.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 06:07:55 | More by TMoney2591

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Trying the Argus IPA...my first from this brewer. The beer poured a darker rich clear amber with thin white head that is leaving a slight lace. The smell unfortunately is not more than average....there is definitely a floral tone to the scent...i'm think columbus hops...not sure. The taste definitely is more floral than citrus...in fact I am not picking up much citrus. Maybe on the backend there is some bitterness. The mouthfeel is good medium body decent carbonation. Overall....slightly dissappointed...but it would not keep me from drinking again. It is a decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 04:42:54 | More by WoodBrew

sweethome

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a depp ruby red color. Pretty much no head. Sweep carmel malt smell, a bit of fruitiness.

Rather clean entry, ripe fruits, carmel malts. A little grapefruit bittering - but fails to overtake the big sweet maltiness.

A flavorful beer. For an IPA, seems dark and sweet. Lacks full bittering as a balance to the sweet malts. Considering by style, that seems a bit off - but nothing off on flavor profile here. I would call this more of a red ale.

For a new brewery - a decent effort.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2010 01:14:29 | More by sweethome

hawks10

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Saw this at Binny's Willowbrook today, brewed in Chicago by a family from Burr Ridge, very very local...

12oz bottle poured into an imperial pint glass, no freshness dating but supposedly this batch was bottled less than a week ago...

Pours a nice dark red/copper color, very clear, I guess I like a little haze in my APA's/IPA's. Two fingers of light tan head forms, sticks around for a bit and recedes to a thin layer of haze...

Was hoping to get a better aroma out of this one, unfortunately the malt takes center stage here and not the hops. Caramel and toffee, a bit sweet with just a touch of hop bittering...

Taste is a bit better than the nose would indicate. Good balance between subtle piny hops and the somewhat sweet malts...

Nice and clean, medium bodied with decent carbonation. No lingering bitterness, finishes clean and crisp and is very easy to drink...

Not bad. Always like trying a new local, and this one is both very new and very local. Good initial offering by Argus Brewery, I look forward to seeing how they develop over the coming months...

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 02:00:41 | More by hawks10

areich6

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz. bottle into a 10oz Old Milwaukee glass (aka not the best glass)

A: Pours a dark bronze/amber color with about a centimeter and a half of head. Very little lacing left after head recedes. A bit too dark for an IPA, but not bad overall.

S: Not much aroma in my opinion. I can faintly smell the hops.

T: Very malt and caramel driven with a bitterness from the hops that becomes increasingly straight forward after a few seconds. Bitterness sticks around in the mouth for a little bit. Not bad at all in my opinion, however.

M: Very smooth and goes down very nicely, a bit of a bite from the hops.

O: This beer doesn't necassarily fit all of the characteristics of an IPA perfectly,for example it is slightly lacking on the hops, but I actually did enjoy it quite a bit. Overall, I think it is a pretty good beer that I would order again.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 04:57:46 | More by areich6

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark brown. Tons of nice foam and decent lacing of the glass. Almost like light Guinness Draught (not red though).

Smell: Heavily hopped. Almost smells like some cinnamon as well. Good. A bit burnt.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Like the smell, it tastes heavily hopped. Good clean mouthfeel that doesn't feel or taste watery at all. Once again, good. This batch was skunked or burned.

Drinkability: Delicious pub ale. Goes great with any pub grub. I'm basing this on two experiences with this beer. The first time was better, but it's stilll a great session beer.

Overall: I prefer this a tad over the McCaffery's Irish Cream Ale that Argus Brewery produces. Definitely a good beer!

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2010 20:17:45 | More by tjsdomer2

skippythelizard

South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

It's better if you don't think of it as an American IPA. It tastes more like an English IPA, but heavier. Maybe an Americanized English bitter...low carbonation, but a lot of hop character for a bitter.

Like other reviewers, I was expecting an American IPA when I ordered it. But readjusting my expectations, it's a decent low carbonation beer for a hot afternoon.

And as the keg just blew and I'm sitting in front of the tap, I am now wearing it as it violently splashed all over me. As far as beer goes, it is extremely wearable.

--

Second (free) pint, as the new keg also resulted in a splash effect, which is good because it didn't get my shoulders enough the first time.

More carbonation from the fresh keg, but still low carbonation, and still not at all an American IPA. I stand by the initial impressions, but what little carbonation there is seems forced. This would be a great beer on cask. I am lowering the mouthfeel score slightly as I preferred the bottom of the keg pint.

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2011 19:57:37 | More by skippythelizard

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

3.73/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Received in beer trade from cousin in Illinois:

Into a pint glass:

A: dark brown colored body and left a film of a head that barely lasted ten seconds. Minimal ringy lacing appeared and slid slowly down the sides of the glass.

S: malts pushing slightly forward than the hops.

T: centered around the malts as well, hops are still there, but more subdued.

M: medium with an all around goodness on my tongue, sessionable.

O: for me, I liked it, but probably not an American IPA, most likely an English IPA (its all semantics, but no big deal to me).

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 17:41:41 | More by kangarooAdam59

mrbugawkagawk

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +18%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

appearance: ruby red, very clear, finger worth of head to it.

Smell: I smell cascade here, with a hint of citrus and a small caramel backbone.

Taste: I get citrus with caramel sweetness.

I have had this beer a couple of times. seems like they have been improving the beer over the months. alot more hoppy than it started out. i will try it again. I love local brews.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 02:14:31 | More by mrbugawkagawk

matjack85

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +32.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this on tap at the newly opened Ballydoyle's Irish Pub in Bloomingdale, IL. I never saw anything by this brewery before so I was doubly surprised to not only find it on the menu but to then discover it was from a local brewery right here in Chicago.
Served in it's own Pegasus pint glass.

The beer poured a clear reddish brown color with a 1½ finger creamy beige head. Lots of spider webbed lacing clung to the glass as I drank it. Not a bad look.

The smell was all hops - both floral and citrus.

While the hops did dominate the flavor, there was also a significant amount of caramely sweet malt in here to cut down on the grapefruit and piny hop bitterness.

Smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel. Medium bodied with only moderate carbonation.

High drinkability. No alcohol taste at all. I liked it so much I ordered another one.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2011 10:24:53 | More by matjack85

monstarr1234

4.88/5  rDev +51.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I had previously stated that Southern Tier IPA was my favorite as far as India pale ales are concered, but I stand corrected.

I was turned to this particular brewing company late last year at a beer and wine convention here in Illinois, and this beer stood out against many competitors.

Pegasus IPA is the best and smoothest IPA that Iv'e ever had.

If your looking for a smooth India Pale Ale without all of the bitterness and bite, look no further.

This beer is awesome, and is my personal favorite.

A big thumbs up and kudos to Argus Brewers out of Chi-town for making the best IPA Iv'e ever had.

Also, this is one of the rare beers Iv'e had that actually comes very close to tasting as good in a bottle that it does on tap.

The mouthful effect loses a bit vs tap to bottle, but otherwise, the taste is right there.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 22:18:00 | More by monstarr1234