IPA Simcoe - The Kernel Brewery

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.4/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Goblet poured at the brewery. Consumed in a charmingly dirty alley. Reviewed from notes.

A: Opaque tangerine body with a sticky layer of off-white head. Good retention, great lacing. Pretty nice.

S: Rich grapefruit + orange, with just a hint of grassiness. Classic Simcoe, and refreshingly un-catty.

T: The Simcoe just keeps going and going, never letting the malt get a word in edgewise. Rich, intense, and beautifully balanced between citrus hops sweetness and huge bitterness.

M: Fairly full body with understated, but rather lively, carbonation.

O: This is my first Kernel beer, and I have to admit I was not expecting to taste a truly top-notch American-style hop-bomb. The Simcoe shines as brightly in this beer as in any D/IPA I've ever had stateside, and overall it's just a wonderful beer. I can barely get over the cognitive dissonance of drinking such an outstanding, progressively styled brew in such a strange location. All distractions aside, I can't wait to try more offerings from this brewery.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 02:38:57 | More by woosterbill

CaptCleveland

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

330ml bottle, non-descript thin tan wrap around bottle, block, dark brown lettering, with brewery name, style, hops, and ABV (6.7%) on this batch.
Bottled on date April 8th 2013; best before 8/8/2013.
Back of label emplores one to "Please drink fresh" in all caps.

Clear, amber elixir, minimal white rim, not much lacing.

The aroma is all Simcoe and delicious.

Pine, grapefruit bitterness, a bit of malt at the back.

Tart, tangy, medium body, well carbonated.

Simply well done Simcoe IPA. The brewers know what they wanted to achieve and have made a nice single hopped IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 08:39:57 | More by CaptCleveland

Trizzle

United Kingdom (England)

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Typical cloudy orange amber Kernel affair with a small but lingering head with some good lace.

Again that fantastic Kernel malt nose of mango, pineapple, pine, grass, honey, yeastie hints and a touch of brown sugar??

A touch thin in the mouth, but I'm marking harshly because I love the kernel. Big fruity malt hop combo. The sweetish banana-esque English caramel malt with pineapple and pepper hops are an incredible combo hinting at mango, pineapple, grass, papaya, pomegranate and all things ambrosia. This isn't a hop bomb with a malt base but a beer where the malt, hop and yeast flavours blend perfectly and synergistically. And the 8% ABV is invisible.

No one element in here is a 5 to be honest, but overall, it's a 5.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 17:30:55 | More by Trizzle

StJamesGate

New York

4.05/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours cloudy brown-peach with a clingy off-white head. Orange candy and tropical blossom nose. Papaya honey cake malts with signature passionfruit hops and a heavy bitterness (high alphas?) throughout. Grapefruit pith dryness at the end. Medium, chewy, no burn.

Fruity, but also a palate wrecker. Pretty much what you want from a single hop IPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2010 10:36:28 | More by StJamesGate

thepeter

United Kingdom (England)

3.9/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Dark Orange with a thin head that did not last very long but left sweet sticky lacing and kept a thin film for its entirety.

S - Subdued but sweet floral hops, biscuity malt and orange / citrus zest. Very nicely balanced aroma.

T - Hops, citrus, pine needles, not as sweet and flowery as the smell would have indicated but rather a nice crisp sharp set of flavors and a nutty pine aftertaste that was very dry adn refreshing.

M&D - Silky smooth and near perfect carboation in my opinion. I thought that this was a very drinkable beer as well.

Will be buying more and hopefully visiting the brewery (if that is an option) in the near future. Would love to this one fresh and on Cask somewhere.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 13:42:12 | More by thepeter