Muffin Top - Clown Shoes

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.31/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

First had: on tap at TJ's, Paoli, PA

Served in a snifter, a hazy orange-amber color with a small cap of foamy white head. Didn't get much in the aroma, but it was still nice, with scents of bready yeast, and citrusy hops. Taste was good: notes of bready yeast detected in the nose, citrus zest and fresh fruit, honey and malty sweetness. Crisp, sharp, dry finish. Higher alcohol was no more noticeable than most other IPAs I've had. Medium body, and fairly enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2012 03:06:50 | More by Rifugium

chocosushi

Oklahoma

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A ~ The orange side of amber with carbonation typical of clown shoes with some really impressive lacing for a belgian IPA.

S ~ Tropical Fruits, Citrus, & Lemonheads candy.
Lychee-fruit makes an appearance. Finish is Green, Citric & Sweet. Really nice.

T ~ Strong Rock Candi Sugar melded with very fresh floral notes (almost perfume like) & grapefruit. This sharply changes to Orange Zest, MEDICINE, & Lime Peel in the middle.
Finish is Pineapple soaked in Vodka. Strong flavors without cohesion with all the heat. Things become more bearable with time but there is no focus here.

M ~ Strong heat. Tons of good flavors abound but are barely held together. Sweetness doesn't cloy but that heat makes me feel like I am drinking an effing cocktail.

D ~ A lot of heat. Crazy amount of flavors going on. Way too Green to be having all that Candi Sugar hitting you in the face. This is the frame of what could be a great beer. That nose is one of the best I have ever experienced in a Belgian IPA.
Thanks for the chance Berto!

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 01:50:14 | More by chocosushi

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On Tap at Blue Dog

A- Golden yellow with a nice bright white head that became a cap and left no sap. Leaves, but can be brought back with swirls.

S- Belgian yeast on top of grapefruit and citrus scents and a bready backing. A bit of the 10 percent rears it's head in the mix.

T- Grapefruit, pineapple, Belgian yeast making bread. Some tangerine. The flavors kind of really jump out at you, not muted, but not terribly balanced as well. Not alot of hot alcohol though which is a plus, I usually find a boatload more alcohol in American Belgian IPA'S.

M- Fairly carbed with a less than medium body, goes down pretty smooth with a slight crisp pop towards the end. A yeasty aftertaste.

D- I enjoyed this to an extent but not terribly blown away. It's good, but I won't be going for a 2nd glass, Is it an amped up version of tramp stamp, who knows?

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2012 16:39:04 | More by onix1agr

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Seemingly a Belgian-style Tripel Ale except with heightened hop character makes this currious ale authentic tasting as a Tripel, especially with the restrained hop character that pulls it nearly within range.

Very yeasty looking with a thick visual weight, the beer pours golden to orange in color. Very creamy looking, the beer builds a short-lived head of slighly off white foam and with surprisingly little lace. Despite the hop content, it seems that the density and alcohol of the beer impeeds more meaningful head character.

Yeasty and somewhat briny to the nose, other classic scents of fruity pears and apples and decorated with notes of orange peel, corriander, and white pepper. Grassy and citrusy hops allow a bold aroma of grapefruit pith and fresh sawn pine to balance just as much as the more peppery notes. An unsettled plastic scent reveals peculiar aromas of cheese and musty berry-like tartness.

Full flavored and richly malted, the beer's heavy malt components hold serve with the taste of light breads, honey suckle, and overall malt sweetness. Pears, apples, and under-rippened berries play into the acidic and estery balance. So also does the spicy notes of sweet orange peel, soft corriander, white pepper, and plastic. Foregone are the clean citrusy bitterness of fresh hops as the character of aged hops have derailed the early hop balance as well as the dry hop flavors to finish.

Much fuller flavored than is common for most ligher Belgian-style ales. The sugary weight of the beer keeps the mouthfeel from resembling the dryness of IPAs or Belgians more. Finishing semi-dry at best, the lingering sweetness prevents the signature dryness of either style.

Where the beer is tasty for the most part, the unresolved sweetness of malt and the abused hop profile keeps it falling short for either Belgian Golden Ales or IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 07:04:42 | More by BEERchitect

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 8/11

A: darker amber, slight haze, good rocky Belgian-style head that dissipated to a thin veil
S: intense nose, combination of malt, hops, and yeasty Belgian qualities, earthy
T: good balance of malt and hops, definite Belgian traits
M: definitely doesn’t taste of a 10%abv, smooth, deep malty backbone with good hop bitterness balance but not overpowering, a bit hot in finish, slightly cloying
O: good beer, a bit thick and could be better if scaled back a bit in ABV and maltiness

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 01:42:38 | More by wisrarebeer

cfergusn

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: had an orange/copper look, slightly hazy but not transparent.

S: Seemed all over the place, from orange and citrus smells to bubble gum?

T: Not sure how to describe this, but slight bitter, yet nice body. Definately get the hint of pine somewhere on the back side.

M: Dry by nature, but does have a nice smoothness to it. The after affect can catch some of guard.

O: Not a bad choice if you are getting introduced to the brewery. This is an american interpretation of a belgian IPA, which seems a little off the mark.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 20:49:23 | More by cfergusn

2378GCGTG

Texas

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

Bomber poured into a pint glass
Appearance- Orangish golden with a 1 inch head, laces the glass as it fades slowly

Nose: Golden raisins, bubble gum, citrus, pine, bitter hops

Taste: Clean malt and candi sugar, which fade into a resinous/piney hop note ending with a bitter yet clean and refined finish

Mouth: Balanced; bubbly and bouncy on the palate yet silky and flowing at the same time

Overall: A great beer, the hops are balanced by the malt and both are very present and forward

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 14:07:29 | More by 2378GCGTG

fmccormi

New York

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Straight pour from a 22oz pry-off bottle dated to August, 2011 (“BOTTLED 8/11” printed on the label, underneath the barcode) to my Belgian Independence Day stemmed tulip.

Appearance (4.5): Wow, this is an unexpectedly beautiful pour. Body is a very murky honey-orange and it’s protected by a very, very tight three finger head that dissolves into fat bubbles, a rocky surface and heavy lacing all around the sides. Excellent, to be honest.

Smell (3.5): Very heavy on the tripel aspect of this beer (it is a “Belgian-style Tripel India Pale Ale,” after all), which is fine by me. It was bottled a few months ago and it’s meant to be big and Belgian. So, coriander and apples in the nose, mixed with some lighter tropical American hop notes. Interesting, definitely decent.

Taste (4.5): Lots and lots of hop character still left in this mother. It’s spicy, rich, and slightly fruity thanks to the Belgian-ness of this brew, but then a very strong herbal, citrus pithy bitterness overwhelms that side of the beer and takes its sweet time finishing. The hop finish just doesn’t end. This is great. The malt body almost gets lost underneath all that yeast and hop goodness, but it’s moderately sweet, like just a little bit of caramel drizzled on a plain sugar cookie. Only a small amount of booze comes through—surprisingly well-hidden. This is brewed with sweet orange peel, according to the label, and it comes out much more as it warms, though it blends very nicely with the sweetness of the malt and the bitter tang of the hops. Regardless, I am enjoying this quite a bit.

Mouthfeel (4.0): No question that this is a fuller bodied brew, but not heavy by any means. It finishes rather dry, thanks to the ABV, no doubt. This carbonation is very nice—active, evenly distributed, rich but just slightly prickly, it complements the yeast spiciness very well.

Overall (4.5): Damn. I did NOT see this coming. This is really an excellent beer if you ask me, and I’d be delighted to ever see it in a bar. Full disclosure, I picked up this bottle for about $1.50 on discount from my favorite local store, because they had bunches of it and it just wasn’t moving. I am so, so glad I picked this up. It’s a surprisingly solid tripel brewed with sweet orange peel and a shitload of hops; a Double India Pale Tripel might sound like a potential disaster, but evidently this was executed very well. Clown Shoes, please release this at least once a year, and preferably in 12oz 4-packs!

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 01:46:07 | More by fmccormi

rinhaak

Massachusetts

2.68/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I found this to be a tremendously disappointing offering from Clown Shoes. While they can be very, very good at their best (Clementine, for example), they can also be quite bad at their worst. And sadly, for my tastes, this beer is among their worst offerings.

While I applaud their experimental efforts, this particular experiment needs a lot more time to work out the kinks. For beginners, it is neither an IPA nor a Belgian Tripel. Very little hop profile, it was way too sweet and tasted predominantly of canned mandarin oranges. None of the yeasty breadiness that one expects in a tripel, nor any of the hop zing one expects in an IPA. In short, it's a fruity, sweet, unbalanced beer.

A word of advice: don't bother with it.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 20:25:33 | More by rinhaak

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.13/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 1 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a three finger cream head that fades slowly to a thin layer leaving a good lace. Ugly, muddy amber color, big mistake pouring all in glass - tons of floaties that don't settle plus a ton of yeast left in bottle. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Grapefruit nose, sweetened grapefruit flavor, dry bitter finish. Disappointing Belgian triple IPA. $9.60 for a 22oz bottle from Tully's Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 23:09:47 | More by jdhilt

drabmuh

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from a 22 ounce bottle into a Clown Shoes shaker pint, because I can. At the time of this review, this is the #38 top Belgian IPA on the "Top Beers - Belgian IPA" list.

Beer is orange / amber, really hazy, nice tight off white head, lots of lacing, moderate carbonation.

I really feel like I was there when this style exploded onto the scene and this has the exact aroma I've come to expect from Belgian IPAs. The hops are earthy, mildly piny, mildly citrusy, the yeast and breadiness comes through well.

Beer is a little dry on the finish, light in body, earthy, sweet, bready, biscuit, aromatic, nice. Carbonation dances on the tongue. A good Belgian IPA but nothing makes it stand out. Just another BIPA. But I really enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 03:01:10 | More by drabmuh

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Gale Sayers shaker pint glass.

Another Clown Shoes brew to prep for an upcoming tasting. It pours a partly cloudy sunset golden-straw topped by a finger of white foam. The nose comprises honeydew, pine resin, light balsa, grapefruit, orange zest, coriander, clove, banana peel, and sweet honey. The taste brings in more of the same, but the citrus fruits are now favoring their rinds and peels, bringing out a decidedly more bitter situation. It's not too bitter, but I think the new lack of fruitiness is a general detriment. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a slightly dry finish. Overall, a generally solid BIPA, but one that falls just shy of making me really happy with it.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 19:47:51 | More by TMoney2591

Pencible

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: This poured an opaque dark gold with a little white head and chunky sediment.
S: It smelled like mango and apricot and citrus zest, with some white peppercorn and rye bread.
T: It tasted like dried mango and fresh apricot, with some citrus zest and green peppercorn and rye bread. It had a bitter and clean aftertaste with a little lingering sweetness.
M: It was oily with smooth natural carbonation. Nice delicate body.
D: This was a very nice IPA, but not very Belgian. It had an enjoyable scent and taste, with very good body. The alcohol was well hidden, so it was easy to drink. Maybe not one of the better examples of this style, but a very enjoyable drink anyway. I say give it a shot!

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 16:56:19 | More by Pencible

JayAre46

Texas

3.08/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bomber poured into a pint glass very transparent yellow orange color with a finger of white head falling to a thin ring. the nose initially is of sweet fruit and light hops with some citrus. upon first whiff its almost like a citra bomb but then you realize no no, not even close. bubble gum, yeast, candied sugar minimal citrus. wishful thinking. im slightly afraid from the amount of sweetness this one gives off but here goes, the taste is like the clash of an unstoppable force and an immovable object with belgian yeast and american hops fighting til death. some sweet sugars, tangerine, and hoppy a bite. alcohol is swarming. the body is medium and lightly carbonated not a bad mouthfeel but rather difficult to drink. overall this is too much to handle, this one needs to finish much more bitter and dry. Belgian-Style triple Ipa! what kind of yeast makes it through this?!?!?not sure how im going to finish, will this be the first drain pour of 2012??? stay tuned after theses messages.

nope. almost, but not quite.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 01:34:39 | More by JayAre46

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.35/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle from Total Wine (Kennesaw, GA). 7.99. Served in my Founders snifter. 

Pours a deep hazy amber w/ 2 fingers pale head. Nice lacing as I drink it down.  

Smells of citris hops, orange and are those some mild spices I detect?

Sharp Belgian fruity/yeasty bite up front with the hops taking over by the end. Interesting mix of flavors- much different than the strait up DIPAs that I typically drink. Fairly dry crisp finish. 

Medium mouthfeel. Low carbonation- works pretty well. 

Not the best Imperial IPA, but that's not what it is! I've only had a few Belgian-style IPAs but this is certainly one I'll be coming back to. This is the 4th Clown Shoes beer I've tried and they continue to impress me. I sure hope some Vampire Slayer finds it's way to GA...

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 01:34:33 | More by ThickNStout

Cyberkedi

Georgia

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

Aroma is strong, fruity and yeasty with a hoppy note and just a hint of caramel. It pours a pretty clear golden with a fairly thick and fluffy ivory head that leaves substantial lacing. Fruity flavor is mainly apple with a note of pear and malty and yeasty tones plus a subtle hoppy undertone. Smooth, firm-bodied texture is edgy and lively, leaving a fizzy, fruity and malty finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 05:15:49 | More by Cyberkedi

NEhophead

Massachusetts

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

22 fl oz brown bottle served in a snifter.

Murky dark peach in color beneath a foamy white head. The head fades to a semi-intact, whispy sheet which leaves thin lacing around the snifter.

Sweet candied sugar with notes of vanilla. The hop aroma is pretty hefty, not quite fresh, but filled with a nice Belgian yeast quality.

Intense hop flavor characterized by a stiff, musty citrus flavor. The sweet Belgian candied sugar adds an unexpected balance to the big hops. The alcohol flavor is warm and surprisingly kept in check by the rounded Belgian sweetness and tempered American hops.

Medium bodied; smooth, somewhat dry. The carbonation is really mellow, which is surprising for a 10% Belgian IPA.

This style can be pretty hit or miss in my experience. Fortunately, this one is well balanced in taste and texture, and it's flavors really shine especially for the alcohol content.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 03:19:11 | More by NEhophead

bens0n

Texas

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a clear caramelly color with copious amounts of creamy off-white head that leaves tons of lacing on the glass.

On the nose its slightly boozy and sweet. Has some caramelly notes, but theres not much hoppyness to it.

Flavor wise it starts out pretty sweet and subtle with a caramelly note that comes in towards the end and it finishes with a slight hoppy bite. Its not too boozy tasting but the bitter hops just coat your tongue inbetween sips.

Its a pretty thick and smooth beer, very low level of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 03:13:37 | More by bens0n

Ratman197

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured a cloudy gold with a lasting ivory head. Aromas of grapefruit, yeast, straw, candied orange, lemon zest, light mint and a hint of licorice. Mouthfeel was medium bodied and smooth with a dry finish. Flavors of yeast, straw, grapefruit, lemon zest, ligt candied orange and light mint with a smooth dry bitter lingering citrus finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 23:33:50 | More by Ratman197

jsulko

Illinois

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

Bomber poured into a tulip glass

Orangish gold color with a slight haze. Head is slightly off white and lingers.

Smell is Sugar with a hint of orange. Yeasty.

Heavy alcohol on the taste. Orange notes also come through. Not tasting the "IPA" part of the equation much, may have faded a bit.

An interesting beer that I might try and get fresher to see if the hops/IPA comes through.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 04:09:01 | More by jsulko

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 8/11

A - Hazy burnt orange with a thin white head and sticky islands of lace.

S - Candy sugar and sweet orange peel. I feel like I can pick up some sweet malt and hops but can't tell if that is just the sugar and orange peel.

T - Starts sweet with candy sugar, orange peel, citrus hops and some yeasty notes and then becomes bitter with more sugar and orange.

M - Medium body with some warming alcohol.

D - A little too sweet and a tad over spiced with orange peel.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 03:20:23 | More by brewcrew76

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Gold/amber with some haze and a thin whitish cap. Decent head retention and lacing. Hops were apparent as soon as the bottle was opened. Fruit candy aroma, pineapple and citrus, dry malt and bread, hint of phenols and alcohol. Sweetness in the flavour was mostly caramel with some sugar and malt. Bitterness was more prominent in the finish, along with alcohol warmth and peppery spice. Grassy, citrus, a bit fruity. Full bodied, lowish carbonation, smooth, almost creamy texture. Not bad at all, but a little on the sweet side.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 00:58:04 | More by DrJay

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a light slightly orange gold color with a small 1/4" head of fizzy white bubbles that was quite active at first, but settled to a pretty substantial ring where the beer meets the glass, being maintained by lots of bubbles rising.

Aroma: Lots of clean American citrusy hops mixed with some light caramel notes that really reminds me of your good "typical" IPA. It is surprising that it has 10%ABV from the aroma as there is no heat in the nose of the cold beer at all. It is nice to be so concealed.

Taste: The flavor departs from the aroma of the cold beer quite a bit in that you can pick up the alcohol quickly as warming and spice and this is supported by a light bodied beer for being this strong. The finish has a good bit of carbonation, but the light body and high alcohol really make this beer dry on the finish. The bittering hops seem mild in comparrison to the rest of the ingredients, and this is a good thing as it would make the beer undrinkable if it was overly bitter too.

Opinion: Overall this is a pretty good beer, though the alcohol is so high that I am really drinking water to compensate. It dries you out a bit. Either way, this is good beer and if you are a big fan of American DIPA variations, you should definitely give this one a shot. That said, I wouldn't put it above Great Divide Hercules or DogFish 90Min, but still it is a good brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 04:46:36 | More by SkeeterHawk

metter98

New York

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

On-tap at Mugs Alehouse, Brooklyn, NY

A: The beer is very dark yellowish orange in color. It poured with a thin white head that gradually died down, leaving lacing on the surface and down the sides of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of pale malts and citrusy hops in the nose along with some hints of cloves.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has a slight amount of bitterness and flavors of spices in the finish.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied on the palate and is also chewy with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer has a very interesting taste and has a much fuller bodied compared to other beers in the style.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2011 00:17:09 | More by metter98

Amalak

New York

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is such a unique taste. There is a high alcohol taste and some wheat. There's a bite of watermelon. I'm tasting blueberry in there. The hops provide for a bitter after taste. Cotton candy taste. This is one of the most unique tasting beers I've had in a while. I can't drink too many, but it's uniqueness make it a must try.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 04:01:47 | More by Amalak