Firewater IPA - Catawba Valley Brewing Company

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.41/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a cloudy dark golden color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of hops and pine. Taste is the same, hops, pine, a bit of mint, bitterness and somewhat unbalanced. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall this is a decent beer.

Serving type: can

03-16-2013 19:29:20 | More by tone77

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I dance with excitement and anticipation each and every time local, in-person trader tone77 mentions that he has beer for me. He was recently in North Carolina and came back with a significant CANtribution to The CANQuest (TM). I have thoroughly enjoyed each one and wish that I could get some more for review.

From the CAN: "'Professionally Brewed Beer for Professional Beer Drinkers.'"; "Fine, Hand-Crafted Ales"; "Since 1999"; "This golden straw colored IPA is made with 5 varieties of malts and 6 massive hops. It is a stand-alone great in flavor and aromatics. Any fan of a classic India Pale Ale will be pleased to taste this intricately crafted beer."

First white lightning, now Firewater. I CAN see where this day is headed. Holy carbonation, Batman! The Crack revealed a beer eager to come out and greet me, much like a puppy on its master's return. This was notable as the beer had been unmoved, cooling in my reefer until just a moment ago. Full? No wonder it popped. It was so full that there was no room for the tab to move into the CAN! The inverted Glug was the work of a master, forming two fingers of dense, tawny head with good retention. Color was a slightly hazy deep-amber. Nose had a mintiness reserved for chewing gum and/or mouthwash. Minty fresh! Mouthfeel was medium and I simply allowed the beer to roll around on my tongue, letting the hops linger like a kiss. Schlitz used to advertize as "Just a kiss of the hops" and that being the case, this was a French Kiss of the hops. Gimme, baby. Dense sticky lacing began to form in the glass with each successive sip. It was not fiery, but neither was it mellow. It was striking a nice balance between too many hops and not enough. Finish was dry, but not so dry that I was gasping for water, either. More, I want more.

Serving type: can

05-25-2013 19:00:15 | More by woodychandler

Falcone

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%

05-17-2013 05:22:21 | More by Falcone

carolinahophead

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

It's a first time try here :
Another NC craft beer offering.
It pours a straw color with a huge snow white head.
Aromas of imported and domestic hops ... Not over the top . Sweetness and
earth notes.
Medium mouthfeel and smooth bitterness. Easy to drink when it warms up.
The beer is a good example of a blended IPA. England and the American South..
Enjoy it and share it with friends..

Serving type: can

05-15-2013 23:15:05 | More by carolinahophead

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -8.5%

05-11-2013 07:52:40 | More by RedneckBeerz

cantfindme

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

05-07-2013 04:43:13 | More by cantfindme

ZEB89

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%

05-05-2013 22:19:03 | More by ZEB89

zeledonia

Minnesota

2.44/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.5

Tasted 20 March 2013.

Pours a pale golden straw yellow. Huge white head, thick and foamy. Good retention, nice lacing. Very solid.

Smell is grainy, herbal, and reminiscent of some kind of tincture. Smells like oils extracted from plants, with a dash of hop acid in the back.

Taste is thin and grainy, like pale boiled grains. An acidic chalky medicinal bitterness fades in, making it even worse. No sweetness, no positive flavors, no balance. It's not exactly terrible, but I'd rather not drink it. It's like everything in here is over-extracted, releasing all the acids and tannins and burning off the aromatics and sugars.

Feel is fine. Medium-bodied, appropriate level of carbonation. More lasting than I want it to be.

Not my favorite. Hate to say it, but this is the kind of beer that turned me off to IPAs. There's not much to it other than thin grainy flavors and aspirin-like bitterness with nothing to balance it out. I finished it, but I wouldn't drink another.

Serving type: can

03-29-2013 04:00:13 | More by zeledonia

B-SHAY

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

03-28-2013 12:37:22 | More by B-SHAY

boonejag75

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

03-11-2013 02:51:46 | More by boonejag75

farrago

New Jersey

2.98/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pure white foam, mostly miniscule foam that evaporates as if it was hollow, dissolves down to a thin broken surface coating, the lacing forms a solid sheet down the glass sides, almost coats any free space. Deep golden hued liquid, touch of zinc orange, it slightly hazy but up close it’s not like the liquid is full of particulate, more like it’s filled with tiny bubbles in suspended animation with only a few random larger bubbles showing any movement. Simple nose, even on the clean side, displays hard crusted baguette, grapefruit and more earth than grass, light minerality, not much fruit but minor floral notes, on the soft side, easygoing. Medium-bodied, its general creaminess adds weight. Carbonation comes across as low. Lacking in bite but the herbaceousness does accrue by the end. No sweet citrus, rather on the malty side. Again, has a metallic, minerally side. Bready finish with some honey. Agreeable if dull and without distinct personality, could stand to possess a cleaner, more succinct finish.

Serving type: can

02-27-2013 03:00:35 | More by farrago

JohnnyMc

Ohio

2.95/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

My first beer from Catawba Valley!

Pours out a bright yellow/orange with 3 fingers of off-white head.

The aroma is a mix of grassy/earthy hops and citrus notes along with a touch of caramel malt.

The taste is primarily the grassy hop notes along with orange and lemon peel, a slight white grape characteristic and a good amount of caramel and bready malt notes. Finishes very crisp and only slightly dry.

A light-medium body with a crisp mouthfeel. This is a pretty average IPA, but it's not bitter enough in my opinion and the hop notes are pretty subdued. Not a bad beer, but nothing great. Would love to try more from this brewery though.

Serving type: can

01-05-2013 00:20:56 | More by JohnnyMc

blinker97

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

11-26-2012 17:33:17 | More by blinker97

freduardo

Alabama

3/5  rDev -15.5%

11-23-2012 02:22:42 | More by freduardo

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -15.5%

11-17-2012 21:31:42 | More by rodlavers

kylehay2004

Florida

3.03/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Half finger head with no real retention but nice lacing on a hazy golden with slight amber hue body. Herbal, musty and fruity hops intermingle to form an aroma which is not very inviting. Flavor is very metallic and herbal with pale malts in the background remaining tart and bitter late into the aftertaste although the bitterness isnt all that overwhelming, it just doesnt want to go away. Medium body and moderate carbonation. This one is basically bitter and has lamost no flavor to it being very bland.

Serving type: can

10-25-2012 03:16:49 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

2.73/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours with one finger of white foam on top of a slightly hazy, golden body. The foam settles fairly quickly and leaves decent lace.

S - Some spicy to slightly sweaty hops and light malt.

T - A bit of pine and acidic malt up front. Some grain and burnt toast in the middle with a finish of pine and somewhat harsh bitterness.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, a dry finish and a touch of astringency.

D - Not very good. The hop character is almost all in the bitterness with a unfortunate lack of aroma and flavor. Couple that with anemic malt and harsh bitterness and you have a poor showing.

Serving type: can

10-25-2012 03:16:12 | More by nickfl

carrollmel7

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%

10-14-2012 00:25:01 | More by carrollmel7

swgwilt

Tennessee

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%

09-19-2012 02:39:52 | More by swgwilt

penguinboat

2.5/5  rDev -29.6%

08-03-2012 16:40:34 | More by penguinboat

pops28078

North Carolina

4.83/5  rDev +36.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving type Can 12 oz.
Glass used Tulip also sampled from can direct.

Pours light amber on the orange side with medium carbonation.

Head is two finger off-white and all but disappears in 2-3 minutes. Lacing is average.

Aroma of baked bread and very light citrus but I didn't detect pine.

Taste at first is of hops but quickly turns to the malts and at the end back to a lingering hop bitterness, but not too bitter. No hint of sweetness, but maybe the sweet
covers the hops and balances to a nice medium and pleasing taste.

Mouthful is light-medium with no hint of alcohol @ 6.0 ABV.

Overall this is a very pleasing IPA. Very drinkable and I will enjoy it often. Sipping from the can still leaves me with a toned down IPA taste and I detect some metallic, but not too strong. However, decanting into a glass really brings out the full realm of characteristics I enjoy in an IPA. Yet, I'd still consider this one drinkable from the can.

Serving type: can

07-30-2012 13:30:30 | More by pops28078

Billolick

New York

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce can without freshness info being offered.
Pours clouded medium golden amber, under a large near white and lasting head. leaves nice thick webs of lacing.

Nose of pine, hop resin and a hint of ripe melon.

Tasty enough AIPA, with a respectable hop package, more resins and pine providing the bite.

Carbonation and mouthfeel are on point. I enjoyed several of these during a recent stay in NC. Nice everyday type of brew/IPA.

Serving type: can

07-25-2012 02:55:14 | More by Billolick

sendsilk

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%

07-18-2012 04:05:29 | More by sendsilk

wceaton

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +26.8%

06-19-2012 15:12:16 | More by wceaton

Cresant

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served this 12 oz. can in a Sam Adams glass. No date. The body was a nice golden amber with a light haze. The off white head was soapy looking and faded quickly. A thin cap remained and created light lacing in the glass.

The smell was lightly citrusy with a mild malty/syrupy character. It bloomed a little floral as it warmed further.

The taste was gentle. Gentle bitterness and gentle sweetness. However, a second wave of bitterness appears and lingers a long time. Not overly hoppy and maybe a little south of fresh. This one was fruity and clean. It grew on me and I liked it better as I drank it.

The mouthfeel was medium to light with plenty of carbonation.

Serving type: can

06-06-2012 12:15:35 | More by Cresant