Eighty-Five - Lafayette Brewing Co.

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: golden/amber body, trace white head, ok lacing

S: pine, floral, grainy, hint of citrus

T: mild grapefruit/lemon zest, pine, grassy, solid bitter oily finish

M- med/light body, mild oily mouth

O: Nice offering for Indiana microbrew, would get again
actually could spend an evening downing these babies.

NICE, NOT MUST HAVE!

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2012 19:40:36 | More by BeerLover99

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

My first review from a bomber...

A- Pours a beautiful deep golden to amber hue. Small, .25 finger head, gone quickly. Not much lacing.

S- Strong of pine and floral notes, yet somewhat subdued at the same time. Very small hint of some underlying sweetness, and a slight biscuity scent.

T- Very subdued for an A-IPA. Almost tastes somewhat watered-down. Starts off with a decent dose of hops bitterness (although nothing compared to most A-IPA's). Hops are just like the scent, mainly piney with some floral hints. After the initial hops, there is a slight sweetness intermingled with grassy tones. Finishes crisply and with little aftertaste.

M- Fairly light on the palate. Not much carbonation for the style. Doesn't detract from the beer itself very much. This is a very drinkable beer.

Overall, I enjoy this one a fair amount. Not what you expect from an A-IPA in regards to hops and bitterness, but I like the subdued complexity that comes through the hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 01:07:02 | More by boilermakerbrew

scottfrie

California

3.3/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into SN tulip pint glass. Thanks for sending me this one Mark!

A: Pours a slightly hazy lemon-golden with couple fingers of bright white head that took forever to fade into a thick film that left patches of sticky lacing down the glass.
S: The hops are very fruity and floral smelling. I get notes of ambiguous citrus, flowery perfume, and melon.
T: The sweet flowery-citrus hops translate into the taste as well, but there is a good dose of doughy, biscuity malt that balances the flavor out. The finish is fairly bitter with notes of citrus rind, and the aftertaste is reminiscent of tobacco. There is something else to this brew that is strange. There is almost a bubblegum taste, probably from the yeast, and the bitterness in the finish has a light sourness to it as well. It tastes Belgian.
M: Medium-full body with soft yet frothy carbonation that fills my mouth. Mouthfeel is soft enough but overall it’s not as clean and crisp as I was expecting.
O: Not my favorite ipa by any stretch but a fairly solid beer all around. It needs some polishing though, as the flavors are a bit strange. Thanks again HosP for letting me try it!

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 18:59:49 | More by scottfrie

salvo

Indiana

3.48/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Wish the head would hold on longer: it reduces to lacing in moments. The smell is complex with lots of piney and earthy hops balanced with hints of malt sweetness.

Taste is shy to assert its hoppiness which comes through in a drying finish and astringent lip-smacking I-want-another-sip sense. Enough sweetness not to scare people off; enough complexity to keep hopheads happy. Hugely drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2010 18:08:19 | More by salvo

manahansf

Indiana

4.03/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear pale blonde color laced with a thin white head. The aroma is malty with hints of citrus hops. The body is mild and smooth and the carbonation is visibly high. The drink is well balanced with sweetness and bitterness accenting the citrus hops. Smooth and drinkable. I believe this is the best brew at the LBC.

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2010 17:40:19 | More by manahansf

mynie

Indiana

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

6-day-old 1/2 growler pours kinda flat. Odd, since it's swig top. I'll review it on tap sooner or later.

Decent pour, considering the circumstances. Nicely hazy honey gold with a tiny bit of a white cap on top.

Smells much more American than the bulk of their beers. Hops are citrusy--medium strength for an IPA, firm for an APA. Malt profile is like a blend between American and British IPA. Dry and sweet.

Tastes like it smells, unique without being off the wall and wonderfully balanced. Sweet cereal malts, big American hops, and --gee the yeast must be British cus I'm picking up something British that I can't quite place. It's good at any rate.

Serving type: growler

08-08-2009 05:42:58 | More by mynie

TheBierBand

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Look: Arrived in pint glass with very little head. Nice lacing on glass. Beer is clear/orangey color.

Nose: Lot's of citrus/pine from hops... very little malt profile.

Taste: Eighty Five stands for IBU's... so i't heavily concentrated on the hops. There is a little caramel sweet taste but you have to look for it. Good citrus/piney hops taste.

MF: Appropriately carbonated... this is a crisp beer that finishes clean.

Drink: Good example... I would say that this splits the difference between an IIPA and a IPA. Not quite a HOP BOMB.... but still packs a good punch.

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2008 16:27:23 | More by TheBierBand

spointon

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this one on tap at the Lafayette Brewing Company brewpub.

A= Served in an imperial pint glass. This beer was a nearly clear golden hue with a half inch foamy white head. The head vanished quickly. Moderate lacing down the glass.

S= The smell of this beer was hoppy, but not as hoppy strong as I expected. Definite notes of piney resins and citrusy aromatics.

T= This one tasted pretty good, but something seemed a bit out of balance... I suspect that the malt levels are funky. In any event it wasn't a bad beer, definitely had notes of pine, and bitter citrus fruits such as grapefruit and lemon. The finish is appropriately dry.

MF= This brew is fairly well carbonated, giving it a crispness that is very refreshing.

D= I could drink more of these, but I suspect that the LBC's cask ales will always outshine this one.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2008 22:27:34 | More by spointon

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this offering on draft on a recent road trip to the brewery.
Served in a pub pint glass. Appears a golden amber color with over a inch of head.
This is the Lafayette Brewery's flagship offering.
Taste is quite citrusy with a good amount of the hop profile coming through. It's not over the top hops, but is fairly balanced and is a very good effort. This isn't going to be a hop-lovers dream beer, but is a very good beer and is very enjoyable.
The mouthfeel is refreshing due to the juicy citrus coming through. There is very good lacing throughout the glass as I drink it.
This is a good beer to have as your flagship beer and to be know by. I could easily have drank several of these with no problem. Another solid offering from a very good brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2006 01:48:00 | More by FtownThrowDown

beveritt

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: On tap, served in an Imperial pint glass. Served just below cellar temperature.

Appearance: Pours with a 3/4 to 1 inch, creamy, white head. This sticks around for a large portion of the beer, finally fading into just a ring. The beer itslef is a strong yellow color, perfectly clear, with the occasional bubble coming up.

Smell: Smells stringly of dry-hopping; citrus and floral hops abound!

Taste: A wondefully hoppy beer. Crisp and citrusy upfront, with a nice lingering bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Pretty low carbonation level, typical of LBC offerings.

Drinkability: As always, a solid offering from LBC, sit back, relax, and enjoy the brew.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2006 21:07:22 | More by beveritt

soper2000

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had a little trouble catagorizing this brew as it's a toss up between a pale ale and an IPA. It is named after it's IBU value of 85, so it is an american ale with a bit of a bite. This is another wonderful beer from the LBC, it pours a very light golden color and has a huge citrus aroma to match the impressive hop bitterness. This beer is not over the top bitter but it is the LBC's brew for hopheads. Mouthfeel is pretty standard to the joint's other offerings. Drinkability is pretty good. I have some friends who will drink just this all night.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2004 00:29:50 | More by soper2000