The Kind IPA - Three Heads Brewing

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured on-tap and served in a tumbler pint, the beer is a bright, crystal clear, golden yellow coloring with a thin, foamy, white head. Aromas of evergreen and pine, with a strong citrus highlight. Smells superfresh. Flavors are light, and the resiny bitter hits the forward tongue instantly. A quick transition brings more tropical fruit flavors, including pineapple and grapefruit. Very well balanced, the beer slightly leans towards bitter and tart at the end of the palate. The aftertaste is bitter, but also sugary sweet at the same time. Light and crisp bodied with a sparse cling on the glass, the beer has a slightly dry, crisp finish. Very hoppy and very tasty despite being slightly unbalanced.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2012 00:09:07 | More by GarthDanielson

stonermouse

Massachusetts

2.7/5  rDev -28%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a snifter.

Pours roughly amber, with just a touch of cloudiness, and a thin head. Minor lacing throughout.

The aroma is fairly generic, and smells somewhat bready. There's a touch of hop, but when it all comes together is smells a bit like a musty old pub.

The flavor is average at best for an IPA. The flavors are mostly mild. The label advertises that the beer is "like taking a walk through a pine forest and ending up at a citrus farm." Too bad this one is mostly melony and boozy, with just enough onion in the finish to wipe away any lingering pleasantness. There is very little sweetness to accompany, which one might think implies over-the-top bitterness. But this beer leaves that door open and never goes in.

The beer finishes oniony and leaves a bit of bitterness on the tongue. Mild, but not necessarily overly pleasant.

This brew reminds me of a homebrew version of another Northeast IPA, Stowaway. But Stowaway brings some malt for sweetness, has a much better body, brings cleaner flavors, and comes in a handy can to boot. Skip this chump and get Baxter's Stowaway if they're side-by-side, and you can enjoy this particular flavor profile in style.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 01:10:04 | More by stonermouse

Beer4Baltimore

Maryland

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle with no date
A - golden amber with small particulate matter floating around. A three finger head of foam that lasts with heavy lacing.
S - earthy pine resins and dull grapefruit overtones. Nothing is sharp and biting but you know there is a glass full of wet hops under your nose.
T - resinous hops dominate throughout from start to finish. Earthy and heavy hops without any crisp biting character.
M - oily, resinous, and mildly carbonated yielding a heavy feeling slow moving stickiness.
D - a bit one dimensional but if you want pine tar hops then this one is for you.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 23:41:11 | More by Beer4Baltimore

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.55/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle (purchased at County Wide in Valley Stream for $5.99) served in a standard pint glass.

L - slightly hazed golden yellow with a white head that thinned out leaving trails of lacing.

S - mix of pine and citrus with a bready malt background.

T - same as the smell with a hint of alcohol showing up towards the bitter finish.

F - medium bodied with good carbonation and a crisp, dry feel making you want another sip.

O - a decent example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 22:09:55 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

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

22oz Bottle from the Sunoco Colton NY for 7.99+tax

Appearance - Clear amber/copper colour with an average size fizzy beige coloured head. There is a high amount of carbonation and there is some faint lacing. The head lasted for around 2-3 minutes.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, grapefruit

Taste & Mouth - There is a below average amount of carbonation and I can taste hops, malts, pine, and caramel. There is also some pineapple mixed with guava and some grapefruit. It ends with a malty sweet aftertaste with a bit of of a lingering hop bitterness.

Overall - Good.. not great.. The mouthfeel seems off and the beer tastes a little artificial. For the price I expected more.. Still worth a try - just not a re-buy for me. It did get better as it approached room temperature..

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 00:18:43 | More by spinrsx

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured an amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of citrus and piney notes is quite dominant with some semi-sweet caramel malt notes also distinguishable. Taste is also a balanced mix between some citrus and piney notes with some residual sugar and caramelized malt also noticeable. Body is quite full with good carbonation. More floral hoppy notes would have helped provided further enjoyment of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 18:49:11 | More by Phyl21ca

mocktm

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Been wanting to try this brewery for a while, found this bomber at A&R Beverage in Seaford, NY. Will set ya back $8.99 a pop; not exactly a bargain. It does however feature some a pretty groovy bottle label (what more does one need than beer and music?), however no bottling date that I can find.

Into a pint, appears sunshine, golden orange with decent lagcing and a tad bit of head. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Nose is dank and wet, aromas of pine and resinous hops. Slight acidic tones, without a whole lot of malt presence that I can pick up on.

Taste doesn't quite live up to the nose. Delvers a subtle bitterness, heavy on pine and grapefruit rind. Again, I can't find a whole lot of malt presence, which I consider to be a good thing in IPAs. Hops do seem like they have died down a bit though.

Drinks rather light, dangerous in the summer, I can throw several of these back rather easily. 6.8% is negligible.

One of the better east-coast IPAs I've had the pleasure of enjoying, albeit a bit expensive. I'd recommend trying it, but I don't know if I'll pick up another bottle when I can get a whole sixer of Flower Power for just a couple bucks more. Still, really happy to have tried and a brewery to definitely keep an eye one. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 23:31:07 | More by mocktm

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle served in a pint glass.

pours a slightly cloudy, dull golden-yellow tone while yielding a 1" foamy, off-white head. decent retention and some swaths of lace. nice aroma offers notes of pine and citric hops with a not especially aromatic but a most of the qualities i look for in my IPAs are covered.

flavor doesn't quite live up to the nose. notes of pine and citrus pull through along with a perceptible though unobtrusive malt backbone. that said, something gets lost in translation and the taste doesn't quite follow through, plus there's a slight metallic quality. opens a bit on the sweet side and finishes more bitter. medium-bodied mouthfeel with average carbonation.

overall, a solid, drinkable, moderately above-average IPA; nothing more, nothing less.

(originally reviewed: 10-31-2011)

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 21:07:04 | More by BostonHops

scootny

New York

3.98/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a beautifully clear brew with a pure white head and a nice layering of lace on the glass. Smell is superb with a rich, pine and tropical fruit signature followed by a caramel malt breadiness. Taste follow the description of pine to citrus with a firm but not overpowering grapefruit character sitting atop a sweet caramel malt core, and a lovely tropical yeast ester. Finish is dry with a moderate amount of hop oil and biscuity bread notes. Feel is full and finely carbonated with a clean and dry quenching persona. A great one to keep around the house with a unique ability to satisfy the hop head while drawing in those who generally shy away from hippy beers.

Serving type: growler

06-09-2012 05:25:08 | More by scootny

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear light bronze color. Good head and great bubbling.

Citric orange hop aroma with a little bite. Maybe a little toasted cracker malt aroma, but mostly hops.

Sharp, orange and grapefruit zest. Tinny palate from the "voracious" hops. Good bitterness overall, but hard to pcik out much malt flavors. Maybe some Wonderbread crust, thats about it. The finish feels watery and tinny.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 00:14:02 | More by scruffwhor

match1112

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

cloudy orange with two inches of thick rocky head and lacing. the nose is a little subdued for an ipa. can still pick up on the citrus and pine tree. the taste is very juicy. well balanced between the citrus, pine and malt so nothing really dominates. mouthfeel is a little thin with a watery feeling on the finish before the bitterness kicks in. overall this is a solid beer, but one i will probably not seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 02:14:41 | More by match1112

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.95/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours cloudy light orange with a finger of head and spotty lacing.

Smells of piney hops with a little bit of booze weird with such a low ABV.

Same flavors. Piney hops with some citrus on the back end along with a strong metallic flavor in the finish and a bit of booze.

Medium mouthfeel and carb. Carbonation seemed to die off quicker than normal.

Not a horrible beer, but it perplexes me how something that's only 6.8% shows any booze flavor. The metallic aftertaste is very off putting as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 01:09:31 | More by jmarsh123

samie85

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -24%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours clear orange color with two fingers of white head.

Not a huge aroma which I was kind of expecting from the name; maybe a bit of pine and some grain.

Bitter pine and citrus with some graininess.

Thin and dry with moderate carbonation.

A bit of a letdown given the name of this one, I expected a dank nose, but there wasn't much in the way of aroma at all.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 02:09:04 | More by samie85

ghostwalker

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beautiful yellow-orange body with a huge frothy white head. A very pretty beer.

Nose is a wonderful blend of candied citrus and pine.

Flavor is where it starts to go wrong. A metallic flavor on the finish is a bit unpleasant. It was going so well too, I love the light malt body and solid citrus bitterness, but the finish is just a bit off.

Mouthfeel is slick, stripping, almost astringent.

Overall is slightly impacted by the metallic flavor on the finish. This has many of the components of a great beer, and one of the components of a bad beer. Wish it didn't have this issue, my review would be much more favorable.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 23:27:30 | More by ghostwalker

billab914

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my Surly nonic pint glass. It poured golden amber in color with a huge, fluffy white head filling half of the glass as first.

The aroma has a lot of pine, grapefruit and citrus rind flavors to it. A little bit of a bready, biscuity malt is there as support. Pretty appealing hoppy aroma overall.

The taste also shows a lot of grapefruit and bitter citrus rind to it. I get a little bit of a sweeter, juicy hoppiness to it at times as well. Again just a little of the grainy, biscuity supporting malts are apparent.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being moderate. Overall it was a pretty good beer. It had some really nice hoppiness with a bold citrus rind bitterness. Pretty enjoyable and drinkable overall, but at $7 a bomber I can't see picking it up again over a 6 pack of 2 Hearted, Loose Cannon, Finest Kind, etc.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 21:20:14 | More by billab914

SLeffler27

New York

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The Kind fills a tulip glass with hazy golden-honey ale and a slight rocky head that dissipates almost instantly, leaving little to no lacing.

Mild orange and raspberry are pleasant but barely evident. This is essentially a one-note and the aroma is far from what I had expected from an IPA.

There is some grapefruit bitterness and lots of caramel, but again not quite a modern IPA. The finish is modest and bitter.

A medium body with watery texture and no discernible alcohol.

This is a tasty and easy-to-drink, but mild, IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 05:12:07 | More by SLeffler27

emerge077

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint at Big Bricks. Got lucky and scored a sample bottle.

Bomber dated "270 11" on the bottom, meaning it's 139 days old/4.6 months old. Boo, an old sample? They aren't even in the market yet, and the cards are stacked against them… is the local distributor to blame?

The bottle has a cotton candy aroma about it before it's poured. I t pours with a frothy and creamy surface texture, lots of sticky lace all around, and long lasting head retention on display. Bright clarity orange gold, slow rising carb trails.

Hop elements come through as mildly catty and citrusy, with a sweet caramel malt backbone. Seems a bit faded after a few months in the bottle sadly.

Caramel malt sweetness, indistinct citrus rind, slightly floral. Pretty drinkable after all is said and done. Medium bodied with light carbonation. Overall i'd try it again if it shows up fresh.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 13:49:30 | More by emerge077

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz into my duvel tulip

A- hazy/orange with a minimal less then 1 finger white head, light lacing.

S- citrus, grapefruit, slight pine

T- a nice well rounded blend of slightly toasted grain citrus and pineynhops. Pretty delicious overall, nothing overwhelming but good well rounded hop flavor.

M- light bodied with light/medium carbonation. Slightly bitter finish leaves the mouth a bit chewy.

O - a very solid ipa, very well rounded, nice hop flavor and balance, an all around good brew

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 02:42:08 | More by PeterIngemi

SawDog505

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass. Pours a straw yellow, a little hazy, with a sticky one inch head, that leaves nice lace. Smell grass, pine, tangerine, and grapefruit. Taste like that, very balanced with nothing dominating. Body on the light side, dry, nice carbonation, and easy drinking. Very good Ila, awesome use of IBUs, but a little expensive at $7.99 a bomber and couldn't find a date.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 22:24:56 | More by SawDog505

maximum12

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to jmpizzo for dropping this 22 oz. bomber in as an extra in a recent, very nice box of brew...& it's an IPA kinda night.

Poured into two tulips, this is a very dense, unfiltered orange. Nose is nice with grapefruit, orange, & light sweet malt. No bitterness at all.

The Kind IPA brings plenty of familiarity to the game. Nice dollop of marmalade, mixed in with plenty of citrus, blending into &/or indistinguishable from the citrus. Nice fingernail of bitterness pries up the gums. Sweet orange takes the long game & runs with it, leaving a nice lingering sugary high blending with the afterimage of the hops. The effect is lovely, & the balance makes it too easy to drink. Should come in buckets.

Always good to be introduced to a new brewery, & even better to one with a good beer. While I generally despise balance in an IPA, this is the exception that proves the rule: it's exquisite. Very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 03:24:26 | More by maximum12

aranheaney

New York

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at the Lovin' Cup at the Rocheseter Brew Fest on 1/14/12, reviewed from notes

A-Hazy yellow, pretty opaque, looks nice

S-Great hop, I get some grapefruit and pine, really good depth to this one

T-Really good, it has an excellent balance between the hoppiness and the taste on the back end which has definitely left a pleasant citrus and pine

M-Also very good, again this just about right not too thick or thin

O-Glad I tried this, if you can find it, I would heartily recommend it

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2012 21:21:52 | More by aranheaney

cosmicevan

New York

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

thanks to maddogg for sharing!

poured a murky cloudy orange with a classic ipa head into a capt lawrence taster tulip. nice frothy head with good lacing. smells really fresh with a citric blast. flavors of lemon, citrus, and a strong earthy character...can't put my finger on it. kind of like rooty and dirt like. mouth is standard. overall a very nice american ipa with a big earthy vibe. overall nice ipa with a fruity bitter finish. enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 01:10:47 | More by cosmicevan

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Apricot coloured and sufficiently misty to obstruct transparency, The Kind IPA looks like just the kind of IPA I like to drink! It hints at lots of malt, but only the most pale and least invasive varieties that should let the hops shine! The glass looks like a black diamond mountain despite that the actual head itself is hardly a bunny hill.

The aroma trumpets its (likely dry-) hoping with lots of bright citrus and leafy bitterness. It is at once inviting, with notes of melon and apricot, while also intimidating, sounding strong and prickly resins. In other words, it's just right! A sturdy but unobtrusive toasty, crepe-like maltiness underlines this orgy of fruity and floral vapors.

The taste delivers a burst of lemony citrus that chewing gums and throat lozenges could only dream of. It is bitter yet simultaneously bright and refreshing due to an almost minty leafiness. Apricot and peach come through as well, imparting luscious remnants of summer on this overcast winter day. It places the spotlight directly overtop the hops.

While it stays largely out of the flavour picture, the malts do not exactly play Switzerland in the midst of all these hop hostilities. Rather, they do all the heavy lifting as far as mouthfeel is concerned; oily, soapy and bitter resins could run amok if not for such a full, wholesome, toasty graininess there to keep them in check. And alcohol is kept far at bay.

A lot of American brewers craft their IPAs in such a way as if to say: “Look! Mine is bigger than yours!” Three Heads Brewing shows more maturity than that, showcasing an enormous hoppiness without being overly zealous. They have nothing to overcompensate for: no cockiness here, just one hell of a hoppy but fantastically smooth, drinkable IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 17:04:35 | More by biegaman

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours lighter than most of the style. Honey color. Translucent. Head us bright white. Smaller in stature. Leaves consistent lacing.

S-Excellent aroma. Hempy hops. Hops are also piney and citrusy. Very hop forward. Malt is detectable but is less relevant. Overall, I really enjoy the aroma here.

T-Taste is different than the nose. Very, very grassy and the malt is more detectable. Leaves an odd lingering aftertaste. Malt is quite biscuity. Herbal, floral and grassy hops mostly. Definitely has a very unique taste. Has a certain zest and is pretty bitter. As it slowly warms it becomes much more malty, specifically bready.

M-Medium body with a good amount of carbonation. A bit slick. Also dry. Bitterness lasts.

O/D-A maltier IPA. I find the hops to be unique and tasty however. I enjoyed this beer, its definitely a different take on the super-popular style. I would say its worth a try at $6.75 for a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 03:34:24 | More by VelvetExtract

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Enormous, pillowy white head. The bear is a cloudy, milky, hazy gold color. It's a golden liquid with a tremendous suspension of floaties. Great tufts of foam cling to the side of the glass. The aroma is huge with hops...pine, like running tree sap...citrus peel...lemon and orange peel, complete with bitterness. Fresh and intense. Earthy. The taste is a bit more dry than expected. I can't call this one balanced. It's awash in hop flavor, with very little malt to center the experience. The beer is a bit thin, and moderately carbonated. It's a solidly good beer, but it's showcase is the smell.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 03:21:31 | More by Suds