Face Plant - Lost Rhino Brewing Company

blackie

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

draft at the Galaxy Hut

a: served in a standard shaker pint, medium amber in color with a light off-white head and average retention

s: caramel and pale malt body with a rustic grainy aroma, and a hop profile of grassy, earthy citrus, decent but nothing too exciting

m: body medium, carbonation light to moderate

t: grainy caramel and pale malt structure with a moderate dosing of earthy citrus hops, grassy and a little muddled, far from a hop bomb - the hops here are more balanced, the beer itself rustic and a little unrefined

o: a decent ipa, but with nothing memorable, a little muddled and light on the hops for my preference

second review, draft at Stoney's DC, no scores changed

a: served in a standard shaker pint, light amber in color, ample off-white head with good retention

s: pale grain, a little toasted malt, citrus pith and dried grass hop aroma, nothing really moving here, but okay

m: carbonation around moderate, lively and crisp, body a lighter medium

t: fairly typical malt profile - pale malts with some light grainy toasts and slight caramel sweetness, no bright, fresh hop flavors here - more pure bitterness with some citrus pith and grass flavor, moderate-high bitterness and considerably dry

o: simple stuff, a little wanting for juicy hop character, but a serviceable ipa for your alpha acid fix, at least

Serving type: on-tap

04-04-2013 04:00:55 | More by blackie

Draznin

4.25/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I think what a lot of folks are missing with this beer is that it's an AMERICAN IPA. Not a standard IPA. Personally, I prefer that as it has a much better, creamier mouth feel than most standard IPA's. It's a bit lighter than many of them as well, but for me, that's a bonus, because rather than being heavy, it's both a treat, and refreshing. I could drink a 6 pack of this stuff without wanting to switch, which I can't say for any standard IPA. They eventually get to be too much after one or two.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2013 14:00:51 | More by Draznin

4thelvofbeer

Virginia

2.83/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Had a glass of this at the brewery. Pours a nice orange with a nice two finger head. Appearance is ok. Smell is good, has some citrusy notes, fruits, but smells a bit off for an IPA...can't really find the words to describe it, but definitely missing something... Taste is ok, not bad, but not an IPA of note. Mouthfeel is good, average. Overall, a average IPA, not bad...

Serving type: on-tap

07-07-2012 20:48:14 | More by 4thelvofbeer

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.23/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at Cave Mezze in Arlington, VA.

A: Poured a very murky orange color, with a foamy off-white orange head that stuck around throughout the session.

S: The nose was almost non-existent, however, after digging in for a bit, I got a tinge of orange.

T: On the taste, I got a fairly fresh citrus component with a bitter finish and an overall taste that was a bit too boozy.

M: Good: Creamy, well carbonated for this style, and not too sweet or cloying... just not interesting.

O: Overall, the booze on the taste killed it for me, however, I'll keep drinking their beers. I'm always looking for some local sensations!

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2012 04:33:05 | More by Chaney

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

3.58/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A fair and quaffable IPA, maybe a tad unremarkable but a good brew.

Presentation: 16 oz draft serving. Tap handle with an identifiable Lost Rhino imagery, name of the brew with an illustration of a cyclist falling over for a Face Plant...? Served in a pint shaker glass.

A - Medium amber pour, small finger of good foam with fair retention, nice surface memory and rich touches of lacing.

S - Nose is fair but very, very tamed. Soft malty caramel with a citric bitter hint...

T - Luckily the flavor picks it up quite a bit with a nice bitterness, citric touch.. maybe a tad generic but not disappointing, soft malty sense holding it up with a memory of caramel.

M - Medium body and carbonation giving the flow a nice structure with a good lingering bite.

O - It actually works fairly well.

Notes: Hmm, not a top notch offering but that is OK. This is quality and while not that memorable makes me recuperate the interest in this brewery. The first thing I had was truly unremarkable to the point that I though the tap was off, on the other hand their Rhinoel cask and bottle were quite notable, and this is OK, which is fine. I´ll keep a curious eye out for other brews from Lost Rhino.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2012 01:56:47 | More by Daniellobo

drabmuh

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer served in a snifter. Beer is reddish / copper and hazy with an offwhite head of small bubbles, some lacing, moderate to low carbonation, decent retention.

Aroma is citrus hops and a little sweet, perhaps some malt sneaking through there.

I'm not about to tell you that this is a great IPA, that drinking it will change what you think about IPAs but this beer does NOT deserve the beer snob IRE it is getting. It is solid, medium bodied, citrus forward sweet IPA. I enjoyed it, would have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 15:44:24 | More by drabmuh

mdfb79

New York

2.75/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

From 07/28/11 notes. had on tap at Whitlow's in Arlington, VA. Served in a pint glass.

a - Pours a deep amber color with one inch of white head and light carbonation evident. No lacing or retention.

s - Smells of caramel malts and bready malts. Not getting much hops, and while not bad, pretty average.

t - Tastes mostly of caramel malts again, with some light bread. Again, no real hops to it, though there is a tiny bit of bitterness. Not that great.

m - Medium body and moderate to high carbonation, with a slight bitterness to it. A touch overcarbonated.

o - Overall an average IPA at best. Not a lot of hops and not a ton going on in the nose or taste, except a tiny bit of bitterness. Glad to see all the new breweries opening up in the area but this isn't one of the better IPAs/beers I've had so far from any of them. Wouldn't seek it out again.

Serving type: on-tap

07-29-2011 15:17:03 | More by mdfb79

yourefragile

District of Columbia

2.28/5  rDev -32.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Sampled on draft at PP Dupont and WF Fair Lakes.

Move along, not much to see (taste) here. Pours a copper amber with an unretentive white head. Aroma and flavor are light caramel malt and yep, nothing. Hops? Bitterness? Complexity? Anything resembling a non-BMC beer is nowhere to be found. Medium light "body". Ugh, this is a boring disappointment.

Serving type: on-tap

07-18-2011 23:55:44 | More by yourefragile

jfmorey

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is slightly cloudy amber with little head

Smell is light, piney

Initial taste is agressivly bitter but not unpleasantly so, with some pine and citrus

Mouthfeel is also light on carbonation

Overall a hophead's interpretation of the style

Serving type: on-tap

07-07-2011 19:17:40 | More by jfmorey

robbrandes

Oregon

3.18/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

reviewed from notes.

5oz taster, poured @ northern virginia brewfest.

poured a bit darker than expected, slightly cloudy in color with a big, fluffy head on it. nose was good - citrus hops, nice strong maltback.

taste - something of a let down. brewer cites a desire for 'rich, malty IPAs'. well they got that right, but it's an IPA, not an American Ale. Bump up the hop profile, and we've got a solid IPA, as is, it's unremarkable.

sidenote - lost rhino's marketing was exceptional. far and away, the best at NOVA.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2011 01:22:42 | More by robbrandes

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Delicate on the palate, Lost Rhino's Face Plant prefers a more somber IPA portrayal. Mild in its character, it may be what's needed for those trying to acquire a taste for hops- an IPA on training wheels, if I may.

Like many types of pale colored ales, the beer pours a medium "honey" amber color with a signature dry-hopped haze and a disinterested white head. Though the foam collapses soon after the pour, it does manage to decorate the glass with spotted intermittent lace.

Its balanced aromas allows for just as much caramel and grain sweetness to emerge as it does citrus or pine character. Fruity with apricot and mango esters, these aromas are reinforced by the sweet scent and prevents the hops from taking charge.

Flavors perform similarly- short after the grain-sweetened early palate registers on the tongue, the hop flavor settle in the middle with dried orange and grapefruit peels, pine needles, muddled grass, and herbal teas. Where the malt presence lingers strongly and the hop profiles are timid, the beer balances out much more like a pale ale, just at larger proportions. Again, the fruits of apricot, peach, and apple seem nearly over-ripened and keeps the beer trending toward sweetness.

Fuller on the palate than what's preferred for in India pale ale, the beer retains much of its malt structures to go along with its lingering sweetness. The hops reasonably dry the beer and offset the malts but aren't able to compete with the sweetness- leaving its finish somewhat unresolved and unsettled. Dryness, crispness, cleanliness or warmth are hard to distinguish from it lumbering middle palate.

If I were Lost Rhino, I would remove the IPA delineation and simply call it an "imperial pale ale". Its taste is better represented in that role than it is the hop-dominant and much drier India pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 18:22:05 | More by BEERchitect

jmaharaj

Maryland

3.34/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a grayish orange/yellow with a deep glow. not much head but a thin layer lingers.
Nose is little dull. Some muted hops and a little alcohol sting (even though this is only 6.2%). The base grain comes through but it isnt particularily nuanced, maybe a little biscuity. Taste is much of the same. A little raw grain and some bittering hops but not much character. The frame is there, a little sweet malt that falls into bittering hops (although is does finish a little syrupy), but there isnt much else.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 01:45:55 | More by jmaharaj

Twal

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev +10%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I can see why people would give this a low rating as an IPA however not being a Hop head fanatic I really rather enjoyed this beer.I like to call it a nice mildly hoppy APA,if you think of it that way it's quite a nice brew.I'm not sure if I would be correct calling this an APA but hey, It's beer it's not supposed to be confined to rules...

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 01:22:45 | More by Twal

Durge

Connecticut

3.48/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed at Carpool Bar in Herndon, VA this IPA is a hazy copper color with a nice creamy white head and lots of residual on the glass. The aroma is just a modest herbal wheat and light citrus grass. Nothing to write home about but okay. The flavor speaks more of the citrus-herbal hop combo blended smoothly with a grainy malt backbone. A very easy drinking but respectable IPA. Hops are definite but not killer at all, just nice. Plenty of grain and touches of grass to balance this out without losing the hop focus. This is medium bodied with some constitution to it, peppered with a very fine but lively carbonation that makes for a refreshing summer brew with flavor. Well done though not very memorable.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 16:18:32 | More by Durge

localone703

Virginia

2.9/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Gaahhh! Another tepid entry into the IPA category by a new Northern Virginia brewery! WTF guys? This is an amber ale, this is an ESB, THIS IS NOT AN IPA!!!

This is not the late 80's/ early 90's people. I can get Sam Adams and Redhook ANYWHERE these days, and so can everyone else that wants boring conservative craft beer.

This one has less hops than the Port City IPA - it's all caramel malt. This is an English Pale Ale minus the interesting candy apple/ stone fruit/ biscuity character.

So NOT a good step for an opening move by a new craft brewery in 2011.

Serving type: growler

07-09-2011 16:29:33 | More by localone703