Stowaway I.P.A. - Baxter Brewing Co.

mltobin

Connecticut

3.65/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on-tap at Dogfish Cafe in Portland, Maine.

The appearance is a rich amber tone with a couple fingers of a white head. The nose comes off with biscuits, pine and citrus hops. Its` taste is rather bitter, some nice sweetness is also present, oranges, fairly balanced. Mouthfeel is a bit sticky, bitterness in the aftertaste. All in all it does not drink as easily as some other IPAs imho, but it is still a pretty good beer. And seeing another small brewery come out of Maine is a good thing.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2013 23:16:47 | More by mltobin

NedShakeshaft

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap @ RiRa, Portland ME.

A - Might be the prettiest beer I've ever seen. Brilliant goden orange. Fluffy, white head retained well. I'm reading that the canned product loses its head quickly, but the draft version kept half its head after 5 minutes.

S - Mild bready malt with big citrus hop aroma and some spice notes (fennel?)

T - Big but balanced. Sweetness on the tip of the tongue balanced by dry but not overpowering hops. Hops are piney, reminiscent of a west-coast IPA. Malts give way to a bittery finish. Delicious.

M - Very drinkable. Velvety feel with moderate carbonation. Could drink this all night but for the ABV.

O - Wish it was more widely available, it would be a go-to for me. Very well done.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2012 04:48:54 | More by NedShakeshaft

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap @ The Great Lost Bear in Portland, ME.

A: Golden-orange with a big, fluffy, white head that leaves behind a bunch of lacing but little retention.

S: Huuuuge fruity, piney hops. Resiny, floral. Awesome.

T: Hop-head's dreams but not overly bitter. Super smooth and balanced. Fruity and floral. Just delicious.

M: Perfect carbonation and balance. Great flavor. Insanely drinkable.

O: Huge fan of this beer. Completely surpassed my expectations. Can compete with most West Coast IPA's.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2012 05:09:47 | More by Gatch

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at New World Tavern--served into a pint glass

Appearance: 1/4 inch head, moderate carbonation, dark golden amber in color, clear

Smell: big time pine and citrus hops and caramel

Taste: big time pine and citrus hops and caramel

Mouthfeel: medium-light body, bitter spike in just about the beginning less bitter end, moderate carbonation

Overall: I was surprised with how bitter this one was for the amount of IBUs. The beginning almost reminded me of Hop Devil by Victory. A bit bitter for my tastes but worth trying for a hop head.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2012 13:30:40 | More by tigg924

sprucetip

Alaska

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this at the brewery and at dinner, and then Lunch when I got home. I liked this better than Lunch, though Lunch gets all the hype. No dissing intended on Maine Beer Co, I'm a fan. More commentary on BA hype....

Good looking golden/amber, medium white head, decent retention, a bit of lacing and moderate activity visible.

Very rich hoppy aroma that comes with significant floral and fruity elements, and a whisp of pine. It hangs on and on, and the sweet malty backbone also comes into play adding depth and complexity. Surprisingly pleasant aroma.

The taste has the same elements coming into play, but it doesn't shine quite as brightly as the smell, probably because dry hopping doesn't add to the flavor the way it does to the nose. But still there are prodigious floral, citrus, peach and mile pine hop influence balancing delicately with the sweet malty base of the beer. The medium bitterness plays well with the other influences and it finishes clean.

Good carbonation level, medium body, gentle warming, and a clean finish that isn't overly dry.

I am impressed! The bountiful floral and fruity hop bouquet in the nose, especially, but also in the flavor were surprising and appreciated. And the body and balance are far more to my liking than the aforementioned, more heavily hyped beer from down the road a spell. Good job Baxter! Keep it up.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2012 03:28:23 | More by sprucetip

beerbiatchMD

Maine

4.68/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap into a can-shaped Baxter Brewing Co. pint glass.

A: orange, opaque, white frothy head with excellent lacing and good retention.

S: can small the hops at arms length. Piny, earthy, very aromatic, fantastic nose.

T: citrusy hops up front, lots of aromatic orange zest, bittery hops.

M: crisp, medium bodied, overall good mouthfeel.

O: I see this beer all over the place and I'm a bit mad I've never had it before. Exceptional.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2011 01:14:25 | More by beerbiatchMD

BigCheese

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pint on tap, grumpy doyles in Reading,

A:Poured a dark orange, cloudy, darker than typical ipa. Minimal head, some webbing not a ton of lacing, could have been the pour.

S: A bit underwhelming, some citrusy hops some molasses based maltiness. Sweeter smell.

T: Definitely on the citrus side of hops, more lemon orange. Lotta grapefruit. Solid ammount of brown sugar malts. Somewhere between east coast and west coast ipa.

M: Pretty syrupys, quite a dry finish. Not a total pallete wrecker but a serious brew. Alcohol is not necessarily well hidden

O: I suspect this keg wasnt the freshest, poor lacing/fresh hopness. Had a significant malt sweetness, I suspect fresh this is similar to smutty/good EC ipa's. Quite dry.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2011 00:49:27 | More by BigCheese

SunDevilBeer

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

First off, I will say this beer is wildly inconsistent. I've had it several times on draft and went through a 6-pack of cans - really a different beer each time.

That said, I'll judge the beer on average when I've had it on tap.

Pours dark copper with little head. Settles down pretty quickly. Nose is similar to the ubiquitous Harpoon IPA in my opinion.

First taste sometimes is a bit rough. A bit dirty and muddled upon first sip, but a strong hop presence comes to wipe everything up at the end. A bit of citrus, semi-hot alcohol, and depending on which time I've had it, can be pretty enjoyable. Can be grassy and a tad smokey sometimes too. Every time I've had it, the beer has a strong malt backbone.

This beer is an enigma to me. Way too inconsistent from each time I've had it.

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2011 19:56:50 | More by SunDevilBeer

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Medium amber with a full cream colored head. Some sticky lace and a few rings to boot.

Floral hoppiness here; kept going back and getting orange blossom. Citric and resinous aromas, with toasted malt and fruit.

Loved this one. Citric and piney hoppiness, caramel, fruit, toasted malt, leading to another level of bitterness -- almost tea-like. Great balance of malt depth and sweetness and the hops. Good hop and malt finish, in balance.

Sticky and medium-full in body. Good carbonation out of the tap.

Very good IPA. Nice complexity, not overdone, drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2011 13:40:23 | More by OtherShoe2

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A rather nice IPA found at the Great Lost Bear in Portland.
Burnt orange pour, medium head. Looks good just sitting there ready to be gulped

And that's what happened. It's aroma is more of pine than citrus, but the flavor is more citrus than pine. Random spice and some green flower along the way. Light caramel malt backbone steps aside. Bite is efficient. Nothing over the top here, just a solid IPA

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2011 21:28:22 | More by Mebuzzard

lechroy

California

4.93/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

At the brewery tasted the fresh IPA in a 3 oz taster glass. First of all the aroma, S, is amazing. Wow is it inspired, pine and grapefruit and fresh sweet hops. Yum. A is a warm golden, orange hue which is a bit cloudy. Two finger head is wonderfully interlaced. T is just fab. Best beer I've had out here on the East Coast in a long time. Rich malt tones, almost toasted with a finishing bitterness that is sharp but smooth. Late hop additional shine here. M is great with a little bit of sickness as expected from a high gravity beer. she finished very dry. Yum. Overall, this is a world class brew. Not to miss, period. oh yeah, and it comes in a can!

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2011 19:14:27 | More by lechroy

yesyouam

New York

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Baxter Stowaway IPA is a cloudy ale that straddles golden and amber, topped with a thin, off white foam that leaves attractive lacing on the glass. It has a solid, fresh pine aroma with notes of grapefruit peel and black pepper. It's pretty light bodied. It's smooth and maybe a bit watery. It has a chalky finish. Ample bitterness of pine resin lasts throughout the sip and past the swallow. It's peppery and dry. This seems like something you'd be able to get in a brewpub on the West Coast in the late '90s; a throwback of sorts. Quite solid.

Serving type: can

05-06-2013 01:14:57 | More by yesyouam

JohnQVD

New York

3.94/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Medium bronze color with a finger-thick foamy head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass. Smell is grapefruity and floral. Taste is bitter melon, with light notes of tropical fruit and citrus and a lingering bitter finish. Feel is medium-thick and creamy, which I didn't expect with this style, but it works. Overall this is quite good and just that little bit different than others of the style.

Serving type: can

04-15-2013 22:26:52 | More by JohnQVD

mountdew1

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured into an imperial pint glass. Color was a medium amber with several streams of carbonation rising from the bottom. Two finger froathy foam head that slowly diminished with just a hint of side cling/lacing. Aroma was a bit of floral sweet with a bit of acid citrus hiding in the backend. Taste was very bitter up front. Not a complex bitter, with not much else noticable. Felt reasonable in the mouth. A bit of coat, with a solid amount of tingle on the tongue from the carbonation/head. Overall not bad, but the flavor was a bit of a let down based on the aroma.

Serving type: can

03-04-2013 23:32:14 | More by mountdew1

mpedara429

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: It is sinful to pour out of a can, but for the sake of this review I did it. It pours out an amber color with just the slightest haze. A bountiful 3 fingers of fluffy off white head. Great retention and sticky lacing.

S: Resiny pine, a solid malt backbone, and some citrus.

T: Very similar to the nose with a nice bitter hop bite and good balance.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Nothing mind blowing but just a very solid IPA. I tend to favor canned IPAs and this one panned out well.

Serving type: can

02-23-2013 23:13:33 | More by mpedara429

cleeze

Maine

4.04/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

One of Maine's finest IPA's. Slowly becoming one of my favorites. Everybody raves about Lunch IPA from ME Beer Co, but Stowaway is right up there.

Appearance is a nice amberish, orange hue with a nice frothy and creamy head.

Smells of citrusy, grapefruity and piney resin goodness.

Citrus right up front, major grapefruit which makes this puppy a super drinkable IPA. It doesn't lack a malt backbone. Great balance between the hoppy assertiviness and malt backbone. Pleasantly crisp and clean finish.

Mouthfeel is so great I want this in and around my mouth.

Serving type: can

01-17-2013 19:11:11 | More by cleeze

Pinknuggets

Vermont

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Canned (11/20/2012) to HFS sniffer

A: Very orangey with an hint of brown, but a more white then tan head. it is so cloudy it is almost completely opaque

S: I am surprised that I can detect the malt flavors better then normal for an IPA there is definitely some hops in there but I cannot tell what they smell like. There is also an almost barnyard smell to it which is kinda weird.

T:Im gonna go ahead and quote the can here because i think its pretty much dead on "complex flavors with a solid malt backbone and assertive hop profile" its a little malty for me but its pretty well balanced with some bitterness in the finish

M: Oily and thin with a light carbonation fairly drinkable but not superb

O: This is a decent beer but its not my favorite by any means and definitely too malty for my taste. Its not hoppy enough for my taste and the feel isn't great i'd prefer it be more smooth. If you are using it to take on the road for anything that it recommends around the can then this is definitely a good beer for those activities but it won't be my go to IPA anytime soon.

Serving type: can

12-26-2012 23:51:53 | More by Pinknuggets

MusicaleMike

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I think the born on date on the can is 8-12-12, but that could be a 9-12-12. Nonetheless, it has been refrigerated since then, so should be fine.

Poured into a Lawsons glass, this amber colored beer has a vibrant orange hue and is topped by a two-finger thick off-white head that sticks all over the glass. Also, nice lively carbonation dances around in the glass, yet also lifts the little particles of yeasty floaters around. This beer does have some considerable haze to it.

Great IPA aroma! It is aggressive, bold, and definitely hoppy. After the pour I easily smell tropical fruits (mango, pineapple) and pine-like aroma hops. Once the head settles and the beer warms a bit, these sort of leave and are replaced with aromas of caramel and tangerine.

First impression: BITTER! 69 IBUs may not sound like a lot, but they somehow got all 69 units to be intensified! Really bitter up front...hard to call this beer well-balanced in any way. It is sharp and just overly bitter for an IPA. Good flavor of hops. There is some flavor of malt, but it is almost entirely masked by the bracing bitterness which starts up front and is carried all the way through till the aftertaste. Spicy hops, notes of bitter orange pith. As it warms, that bitterness becomes a little more tamed (as your palate has already been wrecked and not can't tell the difference) and notes of biscuit malt and toast seem to come through more.

Decent amount of carbonation. Medium to full bodied IPA, that is sharp and almost astringent from the sheer amount of bitter alpha acids...certainly what you could consider a "palate coating bitterness.

This is not my favorite IPA. I find it to be overly aggressive with those alpha acids. Towards the end, the malt profile reminded me of Victory HopDevil, but the hops are just so much more in line with HopDevil. Not a bad IPA at all, but I will not be purchasing again.

Serving type: can

12-13-2012 03:50:38 | More by MusicaleMike

Dools9

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Can into tulip pint. Dated 10/11/12.

A: Pours with a thick two finger, frothy beige head. Color is a clear copper and very eye appealing, orange amber. Laces nicely, head retains to the last drop.

S: Combination of a subtle biscuit, bready malt, caramel sweetness, citrus grapefruit, pine and some herbal hop aromas.

T: Grapefruit peel, and pine hop bitterness, theres also some herbal quality as well. Balances well with a caramel, bready malt sweetness, well balanced and isn't overally bitter for 69 IBU's. Nice clean, dry finish.

M: Feels medium in heft, very soft, smooth carbonation on the mouth moves everything along nicely.

O: A real solid IPA here, love the can packaging as well. This one would probably be a good beginner to intermediate IPA as its not mouth puckering bitter, but it would also probably be a good fix for a hop head as well. A crowd pleaser if you will. Recommended

Serving type: can

11-17-2012 21:03:06 | More by Dools9

KarlosT

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this beer at the Amesbury Beer Festival on Sep 22 2012.

Most of the beers were served from bottles into small 3oz plastic dixie cups.

Although I took notes on the 20+ different beers that I tried, it is difficult to remember all of the details associated with each beer. My apologies to readers of these notes. However, I did pay attention to my overall scores, and noted what I thought were unique positives and negatives w/ each beer.

Note that for me:
< 2.5 = probably would not finish the beer
3.0 = drinkable beer, but likely would not buy again or look for
>3.5 = will try to buy again in the future

Alas ... having trouble remembering the details. But given the +++ next to this beer, I really liked it. Will definitely try again, with more detailed review in the future.

Kudos to Baxter.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 15:02:37 | More by KarlosT

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Canned 7-19-12, reviewed from notes last week.

Pours a bright copperish orange, a white head retains well as a good cap leaving spots of lace.

Smell is pretty malt forward - caramel, bread and butter along with light herbal+grapefruit hops.

Taste brings a little more hops to the table but it's still mostly malt forward. Caramel and some bready malts and a tame hop bill of earthiness, citrus and grapefruit.

Pretty smooth mouthfeel, medium carbonation, easy drinking.

Those looking for a hop bomb will surely want to search elsewhere, it's on the simple and malty side but a pretty enjoyable East Coast IPA.

Serving type: can

09-10-2012 21:01:08 | More by Chico1985

Wasatch

Utah

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks goes out to portia99 for this brew.

Pours a very nice slightly hazy golden amber color, nice carbonation, with a nice one-finger creamy off-white head, with some nice sticky lacing left behind. The nose is pretty hoppy, with some malts thrown in, citrus, slight pineyness. The taste is hoppy, with a nice little sweetness, citrus note, slight pines. Medium body, with a nice bitter/dry finish. This one surprised me, very nice brew.

Serving type: can

09-06-2012 22:23:07 | More by Wasatch

BEERMILER12

Maine

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Canned on 07/17/12, Consumed 07/23/12

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden orange color with a half-fingers worth of head

S: Nice citrus and piney hops along with a solid malt backbone provide most of the aroma. Fruity

T: Follows the nose, with the hops coming out first and then the malts. Fairly well balanced, but the bitterness lingers on throughout. Alcohol almost not present at all

M: Moderate-full bodied with plenty of carbonation to wash away the hop oils

O: One of the better canned IPAs, it's great that you can take it with you pretty much anywhere with ease. Good price point, too. Definitely worth a try

Serving type: can

07-24-2012 03:15:46 | More by BEERMILER12

hmph

Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Graciously received in a trade with Robtobfest , thanks!

A - this pours a very transparent amber/orange with a quickly dissipating fluffed 1 finger head of white

S - a good citrus smell with some sweeter notes coming through

T - sweet upfront followed by the citrus hop in the middle and a balanced malt sweet hop bitter finish

O - really enjoyed this IPA, had it while tasting a few other IPA's and it definitely held its own, nice little surprise with a clean finish well done brew

Serving type: can

07-24-2012 02:49:32 | More by hmph

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz can bought at Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, MA as part of a 6-pack.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" beige head over the cloudy golden amber brew. Frothy head lasts well, with leggy slow-falling lace. Aroma is earthy citrus.

Taste starts sweet, citrus power in the middle, a bit more than balancing bitterness through the close. Mouthfeel is smooth, and drinkability is good. Approachable rep of the style.

Serving type: can

07-18-2012 22:43:14 | More by ppoitras