Icky IPA - Great Basin Brewing Co.

Cinderbike

Nevada

2.63/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Gold with a fluffy white head.

S - Where's the hops? Didn't smell much. Light malt character and hints of what might have been citrus and pine. Not much.

T - Malt, with some hop flavor. Again, not enough.

M - Medium, but well carbonated. It's balanced and not too hop-forward.

O - I had higher hopes. The "Hopasaur" was much better. This just wasn't up to bar. Needs more dryhopping, aroma hops, and bitter ing hops. Beyond that it's a decent IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 05:02:00 | More by Cinderbike

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

2.83/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Had this on 2010-08-19 in Reno, NV at the Great Basin brew pub

A - Clear mahogany with a 1-finger head

S - Not much except some mild grain

T - Odd and not my favorite. Sweet, toasted malt, burnt bitter chocolate, fermented grass. The aftertaste is bitter as expected but there's also a sourness that didn't grab me. I liked the flavors less as the beer warmed.

M - Light body and medium carbonation. Not creamy.

D - I guess I'm in the minority, but one was enough for me.

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2010 20:08:32 | More by Tucquan

Duff27

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Half inch white head on a amber colored body. Good lacing and decent head retention.

S- Stanky orange smell, kinda weird!

T- Taste follows the smell in that it's definitely different. There is citrus in there but this would be what I consider a malt bomb IPA...hops are serisouly lacking compared to 98% of IPAs out there. Strange aftertaste.

M- Medium mouthfeel, lower end of carbonation.

D/O- Both a higher degree of carbonation and more hop presence would benefit Ichthysaur. That being said, it was easy to put this one down. Thanks a ton for the Nevada tick beerandraiderfan!

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 01:40:44 | More by Duff27

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Ah, while not my favorite beer in Nevada, it is a classic amongst the general beer wasteland.

Pours much darker than your average ipa. Light brown or dark copper, your call. Aroma was not noteworthy, slight earth/grain/pine feel to it. Definitely a malt forward vs. hop forward taste. A nice change of pace and dose of something closer to originality than just dumping hops in a brew (which is nice also).

A degree of sweetness, tiny aspect of pine with the malt and wood feel give this a degree of complexity that you often don't see a lot of nubes able to pick up on. The carbonation is usually lower than average, giving this a charming pseudo cask feel to it at times.

This beer is the footsteps for which all in Northern Nevada are brewing in. Are there better ipas? Yeah, over 100+ in my book. Doesn't mean this one isn't good. Of course, at times, this one isn't good, there is a huge amount of variation to the beer, and you have to get it fresh to want any discernable amount of hop flavor to come out of it. OK for an English ipa I guess.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2010 18:28:50 | More by Beerandraiderfan

bsiri85

Nevada

3.45/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A few years ago when I started drinking beer, I thought Icky was "WAY TOO HOPPY". However, I have grown my pallet quite a bit, expanded my knowledge of the brewing process and become a pretty hardcore hophead/homebrewer. Nowadays, I would consider Icky to be just a little tiny bit hoppier than a Pale Ale. If you are looking for a nice, strong, citrussy IPA look to other west coast IPA style beers, but if you are just testing the waters of the IPA world, this is a good starting point.

A-Gold

S-mild hops.

T-Hoppy but sweet. This really is a beer that is inbetween an IPA and Pale Ale. A solid house beer for Great Basin because of its mass appeal.

M-Crisp.

O-For a hop lover, its tame. For a person used to light lagers, you will think its extreme. It's a well flavored beer with plenty of malt and hops, but I recommend this as a starting place for people looking to branch out into the beer world.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2012 00:00:36 | More by bsiri85

mjl21

California

3.48/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Red's Old 395 Grill in Carson City. They call it Icky on the menu. No abv info is given. Poured into a pint glass.

A-Pours a semi clear amber with an off white head that has some good retention. Leaves some decent lace.

S-Has a muted smell on the nose. I pick up on some sweet malt and a tad bit of citrus if I really stick my nose deep into the glass.

T-I get earthy hops, some caramel malt, and it finishes with some citrus at the end. There is some booze that is evident at the end.

M-Medium bodied and it has a very crisp level of carbonation.

D-Not bad, not great.

I love to try local beers and this is from the Sparks area. As noted above, it is so-so. I wouldn't want to write it off until I had it fresh from the source. The bar where I had it at probably doesn't move a ton of this stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2009 18:44:43 | More by mjl21

Jmoore50

Nevada

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

This tastes like a Pale Ale to me, but this brewery is a very good local one.

The appearance is a lighter amber color with a white head. It is a very clear brew, and has a stronger carbonation.

The smell is of hops and a smaller malt background. There are faint hops smells, but if you get this thing fresh it has pine and earth hop characters.

The taste is of a lighter red ale. There are pine hops, with some armarillo fruity hops towards the end. Some bready malts in the background.

The brew is a local favorite, so I have to show some love. Compared to every other IPA, this is mediocre at best.

Enjoyed at Imperial Lounge and Bar.

J

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2010 06:00:40 | More by Jmoore50

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A finger of head on a hazy, medium straw colored body.
The aroma is a mild grapefruit and lemon.
The taste has a moderate pine bitterness balanced nicely with a malt backbone.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
Here's a solid IPA that isn't overpowering on the IBUs.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 02:34:51 | More by Fatehunter

AorakiMyEyes

3.65/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

It's impossible to spell this after drinking a beer but here it is off the bottle: ichthyosaur. Try it backwards.

I poured it into a 4oz tulip glass at 63 degrees (house temperature). The head was about 1-2 fingers thick, absolutely white and disappearing in about 45 seconds. Light threading. Very floral smell. The taste is little dry, bitter and floral like the darn sagebrush in my front yard. It reminds me of the Mammoth brewery's pale ale, which intentionally puts sagebrush as a hop additive (bad on the belly). Back to "Icky" as they call it: it's a chewy mouthful, bubbly acidic. Average priced and worth a bit more. I'll drink it with visitors to the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 02:04:04 | More by AorakiMyEyes

dickroop

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got to try this at the 775 GastroPub at the Meadowland Mall in Reno. Wish I'd had it fresh from the brew pub in Sparks.

Appearance was coppery and clear, nothing special about the head or lacing. The aroma was hoppy but a lilttle weak in the nose. Taste was not as good as I'd hoped for, because my last taste of IPA from Great Basin was a fresh-hopped seasonal. It was mildly piney and floral, but not quite enough hopping for this "local legend". (But then again "ichthysaur" is a fishy dinosaur, isn't it?)

Mouthfeel was medium bodied and pleasant (unmemorable actually). Drinkability was good, it paired well with my lunch and was enjoyable. Served in a 20 oz glass, I was glad for the bigger-than-pint-sized serving. A great local beer but not a great IPA, considering all the competition in the universe of IPAs. Highly recommended... *in* Sparks.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2010 16:10:12 | More by dickroop

TheRealBigC

Nevada

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Icky is starting to spread around the area, after being the Reno/Sparks Metropolitan area's most popular local brew for some time. It actually sort of straddles the APA/IPA line. It's not a huge on hops as an IPA tends to be, but it is still a bit bigger and more citrusy than an APA. It's also really, really malty for an IPA, which broadens its appeal but for some might be overkill. As such, it ends up being a unique take on the style which I hope gets reached out to by more folks out West.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 19:10:20 | More by TheRealBigC

RenoZymurgist

Nevada

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Beautiful cascade of nitrogen bubbles rise upwards to form a thick creamy head atop a golden amber colored beer. The beer is very clear and once nitrogen has settled this beer is picture perfect. Smooth taste due to no carbonation blends well with the citrussy hops and is complemented with a touch of malt. This beer lacks body and would not hold a head without nitrogen. The finish is very tasty as it has a hopiness without any bitterness, very flavorful and characteristic of a west coast IPA. Overall this is a very nice IPA with a strong hop presence complemented by the barest malt background which makes a pretty good IPA.

Serving type: nitro-tap

07-09-2003 08:32:25 | More by RenoZymurgist

OStrungT

California

3.73/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours a golden yellow color, with a fluffy white head that fades very slowly, leaving a thick lace.

This beer has a grassy hop aroma. Some citrus fruit is present. Mostly grapefruit. It is a rather mild IPA at best.

This beer tastes just like it smells. Mildly grassy with some citrus flavor. A slightly sweet malty flavor mixes in balancing this beer nicely.

This beer is crisp and refreshing. Ity leaves a grassy aftertaste.

This beer wouls probably make a decent session beer. The mild flavor and the not overly high alcohol content make it easy to drink.

Overall: This beer is decent. I like my IPA a bit hoppier, but it is still a beer I wouldnt pass up.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2010 03:44:47 | More by OStrungT

Klym

California

3.73/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to my Sister's BF for sharing a bottle of this with me.

Overall I thought this was a pretty good IPA. Beautiful hops on the nose that worked well in the mouth with an interesting, almost sticky maltiness adding backbone to it. There were some gaps in the flavor but I found it easy to drink and easy to enjoy. Would be curious to try more from Great Basin.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 08:07:23 | More by Klym

Billolick

New York

3.78/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed trying a pint of this IPA at the Brewery in Sparks. It arrived with nice tiny bubble film riding on top of a dark amber, clear brew. Each sip created ample amounts of ringed lacing. Nose was of soft malts and a slight wiff of hops. This a pleasant enuf "IPA", actually kind of malt dominated for the style. Hops do come in late, but I was expecting some more of a hop blast here, that never really materialized. Tasty, malty IPA...

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2006 20:46:01 | More by Billolick

MisterClean

California

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the west coast beer festival.

A - Pours copper with 2 fingers of white head. Dissipates moderately fast to .5 a finger. Leaves nice lacing.

S/T - Caramel, flower and grass.

M - Well-balanced and slightly thin. Surprisingly, not hop dominated.

D - Good, but a little lite on hoppiness.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2009 18:51:45 | More by MisterClean

BeerTaft

California

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have always had a soft spot in my belly for this beer. It was the first IPA i every had and it was my go to beer at the brewery since it opened when I lived in the Reno/Sparks area. So I was very happy to see it was now available in bottles to drink at home now that I live out of state. Now on to my review.

Appearance = It's a pretty dark amber color with a thin head that will leave some lace on the side of a clean glass. The beer is crystal clear with no sediment.

Smell = a Deep earthy sweet aroma. Hints of grapefruit and other citrus. Followed with a sweet malty bread aroma. Balanced is all aspects.

Taste = First sip you pickup on the bitterness of the hops on both the middle and back part of you pallet. Then comes some of the sweet malt and finish's very clean with a little citrus. This is one well balanced IPA.

Mouthfeel = It has a nice feel to the mouth coating ones tongue for just the right amount of time until it slowly falls away. Just right for an IPA.

Overall = For a beer that the recipe has been set since the 1994 opening of the brewery it stand up very well. It follows the guideline for an IPA to the T and is one of the most balanced of the breed for sale today. If your a lover of the new styled West Coast IPA then I could see you not being overly impressed. But as a day to day session IPA this one is hard to beat. IT pairs well with fried foods and stands up to strong flavors of the dips that tend to come with them. Depending on what mode your pallet is in you can pickup all sorts of flavors but always in balance with the others. If you only think a good IPA should blow you away with hops then I could see this beer not being for you. But if you like a more east coast, German style IPA that show off all that goes into a great beer then by all means grab a pint at the bar or pick up a the newly available bottle's and enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 00:06:49 | More by BeerTaft

chickencoop

California

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Stuck in Sparks, seriously, isn't that a Cash song, whatever it is, this place makes Oakland look like Dubai. Poured from a tap, but i'm rating the growler in my nasty Holiday Inn with the skinamax blaring. A guy at Whole Foods was saying this was the shit, and they just call it the "icky", so i thought it would be almost weed-like stank, little did i know it was named afetr a dino. It was an average IPA, not much hops, big malts. Good thing for this beer, extremely drinkable, almost too much. Finished the growler by the time Tera Patrick went silly, good stuff.

Serving type: growler

04-16-2010 06:26:19 | More by chickencoop

yemenmocha

Arizona

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

Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub itself.

Ordinary amber in color, decent head, laces well.

Nose is toward the pine side of things, with citrus.

Palate is pine focused as well from the hops, more malt than usual for the style, and a mellow citrus component to round it out.

Very nice pine.

Easy drinking, and not at all "icky" as you might expect from the name.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2008 22:06:07 | More by yemenmocha

dfillius

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. The first hoppy beer I ever liked when I tried for the first time in 2002. Tried again and reviewed in 12/2011.
A: Moderate pour yields 1/2 finger of off-white, tight head with great retention. Hazy golden orange liquid.
S: Delicate hop, pronounced caramel. Slightly stale/sherry aroma is ever so slight. Maris Otter malt maybe.
T: Sweet caramel with delicate hop flavor. Hops are floral with some good savory bitterness, growing with every sip, gently ups the bitterness. A tad mellow on hops for an AIPA. Almost an EIPA, but for a more aggressive piney flavor.
M: Round, smooth, delicate bite.
O: Quite a mellow IPA. I can see why this was my gateway. I'd order another definitely and buy for parties or sessions. Not a palate wrecker.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 03:21:48 | More by dfillius

KoG

Nevada

4.1/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Deep rich copper color with a generous head.

Nice hoppy aroma with hints of citrus, malt, and light pine.

Taste is well balanced. Hops hold their own backed by a nice malt character with a light caramel flavor. Pretty tasty and goes down smooth.

A pretty good pale ale if i must say.

Serving type: on-tap

11-23-2005 04:29:05 | More by KoG

ThreeWiseMen

California

4.2/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wiseman Zach brought back a 64oz. growler of this for my (Nick's) birthday. Wiseman Zach, you are fucking awesome!

Split between Wisemen Nick, Zach, Jorge, and Peter. Reviewed by Nick and Pete.

Appearance: Pours a clear, bright, orange-copper body, with 1/4-inch sticky white head. Scant carbonation can be seen within. Pretty, web-like lacing. N: 4.0; P: 4.0

Smell: Fresh, oily, hops dominate. Lemon zest, pine, and caramel also present with some other herbal notes. Pete sees the smell as "not that impressive", referring to the overall strength of the smell. I kind of agree... N: 4.0; P: 3.0

Taste: Lemon zest, pine and buttery malts start it off. Finishes on herbal and hoppy notes, and aftertaste is mildly bitter. Not a taste that will blow you away, but very pleasant and mild. N: 4.0; P: 4.5

Mouthfeel: Buttery and smooth. "Really creamy", says Pete. Carbonation is pretty low, which may be a result of the growler, but who knows. Great consistency. Mildly spicy with a slightly dry finish. Very well put together. N: 5.0; P: 5.0

Drinkability: Super smooth and mild. Extremely sessionable. I am so glad Zach brought this back for me. Everyone in the group loved it. N: 5.0; P: 5.0

Serving type: growler

01-11-2009 05:53:55 | More by ThreeWiseMen

SurlyDuff

Oregon

4.28/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had "Icky" (as the locals call it) ontap at a real nice pizza place in Sparks. One of the best AIPA's ive had in a good long while. It's a bit sweeter than some of the IPA's im used to in Oregon. Got a lot more florals and herbal flavors from it, as opposed to the citrus and pine i'm accustomed to.

Pour was a amber copper, with a thin sticky head. The lacing grabbed the glass wherever and whenever it could to create resinous art down the side of my glass.

Juicy sweetness, with enough bitterness to add complexity. Like I said afore, this was one of my favorite ipa's in a very long time, and more complex and interesting than say, a Stone IPA, though not as 'big'.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2009 21:22:34 | More by SurlyDuff