Galaxy White IPA - Anchorage Brewing Company

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clouded straw gold color, big plume of soapy white froth, diminishes slowly but leaves little lacing. Scent brings notes of citrus and tropical fruits - grapefruit and pineapple - before musty, earthy funk presents itself, segues into a dry, earthy grainyness, moderate spice. Taste lacked the hop punch or brett funk expected from descriptors on the bottle, moderately bitter with light citrus and tropical notes, mildly earthy from yeast and grain, faint spicing, a touch of sweet fruit juice on the end. Medium bodied, lightly prickly, dry. Maybe a little too much expected from this and maybe a little too much advertised on the bottle, would have liked a touch more aggressiveness on some flavor fronts, maybe the bottle just in a weird spot with aging with faded hops and muted brett.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 17:15:14 | More by rfgetz

brotherloco

California

3.83/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml C&C bottle. Batch #1 - Jan/2012. Served in a snifter.

Cork was a serious pain to get out of this one.

Pours a hazy gold with 2 fingers of fizzy, rocky white foam. Maintains a little bit of a covering. A few swaths of lacing.

Aroma is floral and citrus hops right up front, followed by the now familiar Anchorage bretty white wine note. Sour fruit. Salt and pepper. Spicy and complex.

Flavor starts out exceptionally dry and spritzy, bitterness kicks in after that. Fruity sourness with a salty note emerges next. Long, *long* lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. A little bit of alcohol emerges in the finish as well. Overall, the flavor is a bit of a letdown from the aroma.

Medium-low body with high hybrid natural-spritzy carbonation. Exceptionally dry. Very easy to drink and leaves you wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 01:43:38 | More by brotherloco

dirtylou

Washington

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle, belmont station

from notes

appearance: served in my ale asylum chalice, a quite pale yellow body, creamy white foam head

smell: bright citrus, brett funk, grassy, bready

taste: anchorage appears to be a one trick pony, but when your trick is brett, you're sure to sell bottles and make interesting beer. The brett plays well - more belgian than IPA, but nice and citrusy

mouthfeel: light, funky and refreshing

overall: nice stuff

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 01:14:27 | More by dirtylou

sprucetip

Alaska

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very pale color, if not quite exactly white, with good clarity and rambunctious activity. It has a fluffy white head that is more dense on top, and that recedes gradually and leaves thick lacing.

Horsey Brett and lemony citrus are most noticeable after letting it warm for a good little while. A wee little nip of malty sweetness sneaks in underneath. I'm not getting much from the hops other than the lemon, as the Brett is dominant, even if not overly strong.

The Brett is not so prominent as in the nose, but still noticeable. Hop derived bitterness is mild, and some gentle malty sweetness balances really well. Hop flavor is citrus and pine and increases from the middle onward toward the finish. ... Later I notice some spiciness. But I'm not going to pretend I identified any specific ones named on the label, because I assuredly did not. While the flavor is tame in most respects, it is exceptionally well balanced and maximizes complexity. On first sip it may seem plain, but repeated sips reveal a very well made and unique beer, as we have come to expect from Gabe.

A little tingle/sting from the carbonation, medium body, and really smooth. It doesn't finish dry and bitter like so many others.

While this one doesn't bash you over the head with bold flavors or aromas, it has subtle complexity and great balance. Gabe gets it done again. If he keeps it up, beer geeks may someday have to re-rank the top breweries in Anchorage (and Alaska) with ABC as # 1 and Midnight Sun as #2. When I first learned Gabe had was leaving Midnight Sun to do his own thing I was a bit bummed, but I am all for it now.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 05:05:09 | More by sprucetip

NWer

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Popped the cork of 22 oz bottle & poured into my Russian River stemmed glass. Foamy head explodes filling the glass in spite of a very careful pour.
Head retains very well with nice lace as head gradually recedes.
Golden color.
First impression is of a typical Belgian IPA but then the nuances take over challenging the senses. Sweetness, spiciness, sour notes make for a very enjoyable experience.
A great sipping beer so bold I couldn't finish the bottle at one sitting. Rebottled into a swing-top bottle to finish at a later time.
I love a good Belgian IPA - quickly becoming one of my favorite styles and this didn't disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 02:09:45 | More by NWer

Mora2000

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to blutt59 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma if full of brett, with some orange notes as well as some bread from the malt. The flavor is similar. I get a ton of brett and orange citrus notes, with a little bit of bread and biscuit malt. There is also a nice yeasty component to the flavor and a low amount of hop bitterness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Glad I got to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 03:51:02 | More by Mora2000

notchucknorris

California

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Super hazy honey color with a huge bone white head that leaves great lacing down the glass and stays forever.

S: Fantastic smell. Candied orange and juicy mandarin orange, a touch of oak, some great barnyard funk, a touch of coriander and some white pepper.

T: Not as good as the smell, but still pretty tasty stuff. Opens with a touch of citrus sweetness and then moves towards a more bitter middle and finish with grapefruit pith, brett, biscuity malt and some peppery hops.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 21:22:14 | More by notchucknorris

ehammond1

California

4.18/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2012)

Texas Liquor
Carlsbad, CA

A very pretty, slightly hazed, light yellow and golden with a two-finger high near-white head that lasts and lasts. This eventually leaves irregular rings of lace down the glass.

Complete aroma with bright, floral hops, Brett yeast, grass, hay, lemon, and a bit of pepper.

The flavor is just as good as the aroma, with a surprising level of bitterness complementing the funky Brett yeast, sweet fruit notes, earth, hay, and grass. I like this a lot, though it's not quite as complex as some similar beers.

Medium bodied with a high level of carbonation.

This beer is better than the sum of it's parts. It's delicate, interesting, well balanced, and incredibly enjoyable to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 01:14:48 | More by ehammond1

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a sunny, slightly hazy witbier color. Head was fluffy, bright white, with good retention and lace. Aroma was big with the funky barnyard/hay, with some sprinkling of spices, lemon zest and an ever slight tartness. There's a initial fruity tart edge up front, which shows up again as a slightly bitter/tart finish. Not quite as funky Brett as in the aroma, but there is a slight champagne-like oakiness which wasn't really present in the aroma. Not hugely bitter, but hoppier than a typical Wit. The Brett and barrel seem to over shadow the IPA part of this, but it's still a very tasty Brett beer, so it's not hard to over look. Though we just got this in stock, the bottling run was January, so not too old, but not super fresh, so maybe that has more to do with it. The feel is light bodied, crisp and rather refreshing. Finishes clean for the most part.

Anther wonderful Brett beer from Anchorage...God I wish they were a bit less pricey so I felt like dropping the cash for it more often.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 00:15:11 | More by EgadBananas

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.48/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours very light straw with a big airy foam with good retention and lacing.

Smells of slight citrus, but is overpowered by the brett and spices.

Starts off with a nice flavor of citrus and kumquat. The brett then takes over mid-palate is a bit too overpowering, but not a show stopper. Finishes with a wicked pepper spice that I'm not a fan of at all. This did subside a bit as the beer warmed, and it was a substantially better beer at that point.

Fairly light bodied with good carbonation.

The brett is a bit overpowering in this and it was downright bad to the harsh pepper aftertaste while cold, but the warmer it got, the more that receded and the better the beer got. Marked down a bit because of the initial taste, but by the end of the bottle was actually pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 15:18:11 | More by jmarsh123

scottfrie

California

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle into Duvel tulip. Batch 1, bottled 1/2012.

A: Pours a light lemon-golden with a huge, soft, bright white head that slowly faded into a very fuzzy and thick film that held great retention and left streaks of sticky lacing down the glass.
S: Holly cow what a nose. Citrus dominates with scents of kumquats alongside coriander, vinous (white wine-like) oak barrel, wit yeast and a complex blend of spices and earthy brett. This smells complex and inviting.
T: All of the different ingredients in this beer work really well together to form a fantastic brew! The oak and brett come out a little bit more than the nose, with the citrus coming through in the middle and finish. Peppercorns, coriander, Belgian yeast, and some earthy and farm-like brett are all noticeable, yet no one ingredient dominates. The galaxy hops provide some sweet and slightly bitter fruits in the finish, and the aftertaste is drying, vinous, and full of yeast.
M: Full bodied with frothy, full, yet soft, carbonation. Mouthfeel is full and bubbly but very smooth. Finish is drying and refreshing.
O: Almost as good as Bitter Monk. This brewery can do no wrong in my book. This beer is so complex and flavorful yet so smooth and drinkable. I could drink this all day. Thank you, Anchorage!

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 03:24:26 | More by scottfrie

mwilbur

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 750 mL bottle into shaker pint glass. Batch #1 Jan. 2012.
A: Pours a pale greenish yellow with moderate carbonation producing a 2-3 inch bubbly white head.
S: Citrus and pine hops hit from a few feet away. Pineapple, orange, spearmint, passion fruit, kumquats, and a hint of brett. Smells like an absolute truckload of hops. Wonderfully fresh and aromatic!
T: A bit of an over-aggressive hop explosion up front...takes a bit to settle down and sort out. Citrus (lemon especially), pine, acidic passion fruit, soft wheat, orange rind, and coriander. Black pepper comes to the forefront on the palate in the nice lengthy finish. Quite complex!
M: Light body. Smooth and refreshing which quickly turns toward biting sharp hops. Bitter and dry finish.
D: An interesting beer and an interesting style (white IPA). Refreshing and complex. Definitely worth a try. Drinker beware: Huge hop bomb here. In hindsight, I would give this one a little more time for the hops to settle down and for the brett to do its thing.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 03:38:13 | More by mwilbur

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.63/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 750 ml bottle into CBS snifter. Served slightly chilled.

A) Cloudy yellow with a nice two finger foamy head. This settles to a whipped egg white dusting, which is eventually a collar. Nice lacing initially. Definitely a bit of sediment.

S) Heavy citrus, lemon, white grapefruit with no sugar, lots of rind, and some pine. This sweetens up as it warms. A little pineapple I think.

T) Again citrus, a little sour too. The sourness is lemon. There is some hop bitterness, which hits the taste buds pretty hard. There is a bit of spice too.

M) This is pretty soft, considering the carbonation and the citrus tingle on the finish and aftertaste. The aftertaste could have been tamed a bit.

O) This started out slow, but I must say, this grew on me. Not something I would care to drink regularly, but worth a try. Not to shabby.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 01:18:40 | More by RoamingGnome

DrFayhee

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer has a pale yellow, slightly cloudy color that almost makes it look like its glowing. A nice thick head gives it a stunning appearance. Very fruity aroma with citrus and herbal notes. Characterizing flavor for this beer is a real challenge because I've never had a beer that changes so much with almost every sip. This alone makes it exciting. It started out slightly funky and yeasty which gradually mellowed as honeysuckle and melon-y flavors began to peek through. I'd definitely love to try another bottle to see if there are differences between batches but unfortunately it's pretty pricey.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 02:56:37 | More by DrFayhee

drabmuh

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Brad for sharing this with us the other day, served in a snifter.

Beer is yellow and hazy with a thin white head of small bubbles, some lacing, moderate to high carbonation.

Aroma is bretty, Bretty c and b and some fruits with a nice hoppiness, earthiness to follow.

Beer is light in body and very effervescent on the palate, stinging and sweet, with a late oakiness and funk with a nice hop palate. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 03:41:52 | More by drabmuh

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from an online shop. Served in a Mikasa tulip.

Pours a nice, clear light golden color with a huge, foamy white head with really nice retention. As it finally falls, there's plenty of lacing left behind. Half-inch cap throughout.

The nose carries some really nice Brett notes -- there's some very light hay and straw plus a bit of pineapple and lemon zest. Slight pepper component there as well as mild Galaxy notes. The Brett and additions seem to be more prevalent than the hops, though everything is quite balanced.

The flavor is quite nice as well, though it doesn't quite live up to the nose. The Brett is the focus here and, while quite nice, it doesn't let some of the other components from the nose shine as much. Body is light and crisp with nice carbonation and a very dry finish. Moderate bitterness on the palate and then continuing through the finish.

Overall, really nice use of Brett and I could have gone for a bit more hops in the flavor, but that's a minor complaint considering how much I'm enjoying this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 19:24:28 | More by Thorpe429

aasher

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer just arrived in Indianapolis today. It pours a light bodied milky and cloudy pear juice gold in color with a one finger whispy head. The nose is dry and full of brett with a moderate hop profile with a good amount of coriander and lemon peel. The flavors are a really interesting mix of fresh and pungent hops with a boatload of brett and dried citrus fruits. It's about as complex as could be. It drinks light in body and of course finishes dry and tart. It is just incredibly different. I don't know if I could drink a whole bottle BT myself and thoroughly enjoy it hut this is definitely a beer to share with a friend.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 00:27:22 | More by aasher

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A huge thanks to Dan (DSlim71) for this beer. Cheers buddy!

Appearance – Pours a relatively clear, straw color with about two fingers of head that dissipates quickly leaving spotty lacing.

Smell – A wonderful citrus aroma; lemon, grapefruit, peach, etc. Slight funk, straw, and a hint of a malty backbone.

Taste – A tart bready flavor up front along with wheat, straw, and slight barnyard funk. Nice hops, pine, and lemon zest. Coriander, clove, and white pepper. Finishes up slightly tart yet caramel sweet.

Mouthfeel – Medium to lighter bodied, plentiful prickly carbonation, finishes dry.

Overall – A very interesting beer for sure. A “hybrid” IPA, Wit, and Saison in my opinion. Quite enjoyable and extremely quaffable. Very glad to try this beer. Thanks again Dan!

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 01:49:45 | More by SpdKilz

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by ygtbsm94. Thanks Brad.

The beer is very hazy and appears golden to straw yellow hued. The head is pure white, rapidly fading to a thin, wispy layer.

The aroma offers brettanomyces, oak, fruits (maybe kiwi, passion fruit, star fruit), hops, coriander, peppercorns. Really interesting and nice.

The flavor is also quite good. Lots of brett. Deliciously tart. Certainly not a normal witbier, saison, or IPA, but rather a hybrid of the three.

Lovely mouthfeel. Lingering bitterness and wild yeast. Fabulous.

Overall, this was delightful. I am already looking forward to having it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 21:36:31 | More by Huhzubendah

illidurit

California

4.18/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle from AJ’s in Aptos. Pours a pale gold color -- not quite as light as a wit or berliner weisse, but still very pale. Aroma is zesty and bright. Big tropical papaya and grapefruit and pineapple, lemon verbena, no trace of malt. Just as it should be. Flavor is a little light on hops due to the aging, but it still has a solid tropical fruit presence. Reminds me of orange pineapple juice a bit. A bit of musty oak and brett, moderate bitterness and a lingering tickle of black pepper. A very impressive beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 07:35:57 | More by illidurit

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml C&C bottle opened on 2-23-12.
Batch 1

A - Pours a very light orange-yellow with a huge fluffy white head. Great retention and lots of lacing.

S - Strong hop tones - grass, pine, floral and lemony. Some slight pepper.

T - Very hoppy, not much of the spice comes through.

D - Light body, no sourness.

O - Light and hoppy, and AMAZING!

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 05:15:27 | More by HuskyinPDX

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bottle corked and caged. Served in Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

A - Pours a golden pale straw. Pretty clear when poured without the yeast sediment. 2.5 fingers of bright white head slowly melt into deep mounds leaving sudsy lacing behind.

S - Brett is the first thing picked up after popping the cork. It mixes with bright citrus zest - tangerine, mandarin, and touch of lemon. Dry coriander, and green herbal notes come through as it warms. Brett is plentiful and fills the glass with a demanding funk.

T - Acidic citrus zest blast the palate. Citrus oil, white grape skins, pineapple, green herbs, coriander. Very crisp and clean. The brett adds flavors of damp straw but isn't as involved as the aroma. The finishes with dry grapefruit pith.

M - Moderate carbonation, big bubble champagne-like, light and flowing across the palate, finishes bitter and dry.

Very nice! Galaxy hops combined with Brett is a dream come true. Super fresh and juicy flavors contrasted by the mustiness of the brett just works. Brett is way stronger in the aroma than the flavor. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 01:14:57 | More by StaveHooks

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed "fresh" from tasting notes.

A. Semi hazy pale straw color with a monster four finger head that lasts for a minute and a half, leaving behind amazing sheets and curtains of sudsy lacing. Slightly more retention time and I would have awarded a perfect five for appearance on this one!

S. The first aroma that came to mind was a freshly cooled lemon custard meant for a pie. A split second later I got hit by a wave of the trademarked Galaxy passionfruit aroma coupled up with a side order of Brett Funk and the black peppercorns. The coriander aroma....gets sort of lost in the shuffle for my nose until the beer warms up quite significantly, and even than it is a very meek level of coriander that gets bullied around and obscured by everything else quite a lot.

T. Belgian Brett funk and wet tart wheat, hay, grassy herbal tea-like hopping combined with an appropriately IPA-level of citric peel and rind bittering. The oak and peppercorns team up to form a spicy dry incredibly long finish that blends in with the pithy bitterness that stays with you long after the citrus peel drops away.

M. Medium body and somewhat medium-heavy carbonation. My only real nitpick with this brew is that I would dial the carbonation back just a tad, as it made me feel somewhat bloated even while sipping. Just a bit too effervescent.

Holy hell this was a great beer, and it's going to be hard on my self discipline to wait and see how the funk levels develop in the other bottle I have in the basement.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 15:33:14 | More by WastingFreetime

Docer

Washington

3.98/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: (4.5)
- Nice light colored straw yellow brew.. a very light cloudy touch to it. Nice fingers of bubbly frothy foamy head.. settle to a thin mixed pillow and sticky foam all about the glass.

Smell: (4.5)
- Surprisingly an IPA aroma.. very floral and citrus-like hops over a light grainy biscuit bready malt. Not overly sweet smelling. I like that. No caramel really to be found. Some oak and dry esters sit nicely with a spicy flare that shows up late. Quite good.

Taste: (4.0)
- Grain, biscuit, bread, light sweet malts.. very floral and crisp grassy hops and citrus blended well with a slight spice and peppery character. This is a very well balanced and seemingly green IPA. Bottled with Brett? Is this an IPA to sit on awhile to get more tart and sour flavors? I don't get much in that regard other than the oak and drying flavors that brett can provide in its early stages.

Mouth Feel: (3.5)
- A nice light bodied brew which is quite dry.. I like dry in most of my beers. It is however a little over-carbonated for me. I wouldn't mind some excessive carbonation if the Brett shined more. Not bad.

Overall: (3.5)
- This is a very good IPA. I don't like the price of it. There was a lot of hype around this beer, and along with the packaging.. it fell a bit short for me. Though I do not, and will not grade any of my scores on anything but the fluid. There is some nice Brett character, and a slight funk to it. It is probably the first IPA I would actually even consider aging. The base beer must be stellar, but beyond that.. a little over-done. I like the Whiteout Wit much better.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 05:33:54 | More by Docer

drgarage

California

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle poured in SFBW Chalice

A: Hazy pale straw with a huge head that sticks around for a long time and leaves a lot of lacing behind. Looks a lot like a witbier that's been seriously messed with. Which this is.

S: Huge Galaxy hops. Citrus, resin, humidity, herbs. And then big brett funk.

T: Galaxy huge here, too. A lot of citrus and wet hops. Lots of resin. Tastes like Cuba. Improves pretty much by the sip. Lots of peppercorn spice and coriander. A bit of very tart citrus, hard to say if it's from kumquats or the Galaxy. Rating this a 4.5 for its style, which is better than the vast majority of IPAs and the vast majority of wits. Is it a new style? Maybe.

M: Soft carbonation. Drying, like a lightly oaked chardonnay. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the sensual feast here.

O: My favorite Anchorage beer since Bitter Monk and maybe my favorite overall. I can't believe this beer isn't getting any hype. At some point, Anchorage will be recognized for its greatness, and people won't complain about the price, they'll offer their whole cellars to get their hands on it. What Gabe's doing is virtually unprecedented outside of Belgium. Can't wait to see what he does next. Can you say Quad?

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 06:36:14 | More by drgarage