Rodeo Clown - Karbach Brewing Co.

rdp5008

Oregon

4.19/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Had this on tap at the brewery on a recent visit to Houston. The tour had some good info about the history (short) of the brewery and was a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I went on a nice afternoon and the place was packed. There was even a food truck to serve a fusion of Korean and Mexican fare.

On to the beer...

The beer was delicious. Had their canned Hopadillo IPA before heading to the brewery. Rodeo Clown Double IPA didn't disappoint. Fairly high ABV but you wouldn't know it from the taste or finish so go easy on this one.

A: Nice dark amber pour from the tap with great lace during the drink.

S: Smell of hops and malt. The malt body is prominent in this beer.

T: The hop flavor is a bit masked from the effort to increase ABV so it tasted a bit maltier/sweeter than their standard IPA. Great taste from start to finish. Similar to others in this category I've tried. One thing to note is the lack of the alcohol taste as compared to some other high ABV offerings I've tried. Very drinkable.

O: Nothing crazy here but very easy to drink a few of these. Definitely worth a try! The brewery experience was great as well. Really nice folks.

Can't wait to try this from the can!

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2013 01:49:56 | More by rdp5008

Ford

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Karbach Brewery

I'm not a huge IPA fan.. but I do prefer dIPA's generally.. this one I really liked.

Plenty of hops, but maybe not the hop bomb others are... I would prefer some more grapefruity taste as that is what I like most about IPA's...

Not overpowering in the alcohol taste department which is good.

Smell is fantastic.. loved it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2013 17:31:28 | More by Ford

Godot613

Texas

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Liberty Station

Appearance: copper amber with a tinge of red. Very nice clarity. Decent head retention with some lacing, at least for such a high ABV. Good amount of carbonation.

Smell: Hops in a glass. Citra and Magnum were obvious. Very strong pine resin and spruce upon entry with commanding presence throughout. Other evergreen and more vegetal aromas combine with some temporary herbaceousness. I get something close to star anise. Grapefruit and citrus quite evident, almost dominating. Floral notes. Good amount of sweet aroma with a hint of malt. A nice appearance of pineapple as the beer warmed up. Possibly a bit of peach or nectarine. Quite complex considering its initial simple entry.

Taste: Hops in a glass. Very similar to the aroma. Pine is quite evident, but not overly dry. Citrus and pineapple. Stereotypical IPA mid palate. Not excessively bitter. Some hints of tea and roses. Very good balance. The malt and the hop bitterness play of each other. A nice sweet finish reminiscent of honey with a good biscuity flavor.

Mouthfeel: Nice, smooth, and silky. Maltiness gives great full to medium body. There's just enough carbonation and froth. Very drinkable. Until I checked their website, I had no idea this was 9.5% ABV. Whatever rough edges this beer has, it gets better with time and temperature. Good for a long sip. Finish was long but abruptly ends with some dryness. Good astringency serves as a reminder that this ale follow the style.

Overall: Much better than the Hopadillo. This is a great new beer from Karbach. This and the Weisse Versa are their best offerings. I like the maltiness. There is enough sweetness (not cloying) and quality mouthfeel to make this something that I want to drink on a regular basis.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2011 23:39:35 | More by Godot613

champ103

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Petrol Station in Houston, TX

A: Pours a dark orange/red color. A two finger beige head forms with good retention. Light lace is left.
S: Floral hops with pine resin. Big fruity grapefruit and pineapple aromas. Burnt sugars, caramel malts. Simple, but very nice.
T: At first fairly herbal and tea like, though that fades. Resinous with some grapefruit and pineapple again. Caramel malts, toast, very malty in the middle and end. Finishes with some light honey sweetness. I like it.
M/D: A full body with good carbonation. Crisp, and effervescent. Though smooth at the same time. The alcohol is not noticeable. Easy to put back a few.

This is fairly simple, but very nice. Plenty of hops that are not over barring with enough sweetness and malts for balance. Though really more of an American Barleywine with the malt character. Still well done and recommended

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2011 01:10:57 | More by champ103

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.4/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Received in a trade with MeadMe, thanks for the opportunity!
Pours a fairly murky copper color with a decent sized milky white head that slowly dissipates to a cap on top. The aroma is grapefruit, pineapple, caramel and brown sugar mostly with hints of pine resin and alcohol. The flavor is sweet with sugary caramel malts and a solid shot of ethanol. Light bitter citrusy resinous hop flavor with a firm hop bitterness. Medium body with a light to moderate level of carbonation and a sweet lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Decent enough IPA, but a bit sweet and a little too alcohol harsh for my tastes.

Serving type: can

05-25-2013 04:58:45 | More by johnnnniee

Premo88

Texas

4.58/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. can poured into a tulip

L: murky caramel brown with an amber glow when held up to a light; thick, fluffy head of an inch or more that sticks and laces. this beer puts on a show -- and i love the opaque murkiness.

S: hops AND malt! an awesome balance ... smells as good as anything on the planet. it swings to a very hop-forward aroma, then swings over to a sweet malty biscuit aroma. complex but over the long haul has a great balance.

T: hop forward with a good bitter bite that smooths out with a very sweet, malty finish -- and is VERY complex. you get a different taste each time, always with a hops, alcohol and sweet malt rotating in there. sometimes one takes center stage, then another. without question its the most malty of any of the DIPAs I've tried yet, and I love it!

F: hardly notice anything about it ... good carbonation, good feel, but I must say there doesn't seem to be anything about it that makes it stand out. might just be me.

O: what a brew! I'm very excited that our little Texas brewery is cranking this one out full-time. I'd put it up against Arrogant Bastard, it's that complex and well-constructed. about the only drawback I can find is the fact that you *do* taste the alcohol at times; personally, I'm not a fan of that ... but it's not as in your face as other higher ABV brews, and ultimately, who cares? this beer's so damn good just drink it!

Serving type: can

04-17-2013 06:31:07 | More by Premo88

MasterSki

Illinois

3.96/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Darkness tulip. Thanks to Chris for picking one of these up for me in Texas. Bottom of the can cryptically displays 052K-3 02902.

A – Pours with a finger of creamy yellow-tinged foam, eventually settling to a thick collar, wisps, and splotches of lace. Hazy dark amber-red body, with a few stray bubbles adhering to the sides of the glass.

S – Citrus hops, light pine and earthiness, grapefruit zest, a bit of tropical fruit. Fairly heft malt backdrop, with some red fruits and treacle, as well as a bit of bread and burnt sugars. A tad odd for the style, but fairly pleasant.

T – Taste is a bit more malt-heavy, with moderate, lingering hop bitterness. Tropical fruits integrate with a caramel and tangerine hop flavors, but there’s enough zest to balance the sweetness. The ABV wasn’t listed on the can, but I assumed this was a bigger East Coast DIPA (and was proved right, but the listed 9.5%).

M – Medium-full body, with a syrupy and somewhat heavy feel to it. Lower carbonation, and thankfully dry in the finish, with lingering hop oils. Well-hidden alcohol. One of the rare occasions where I thought a beer needed more spritz.

D – Not really my kind of DIPA, but there’s no major flaws or issues either. I had no problem with the 12oz can, but it’s not really a beer of which I’d order multiples. Solid, but will be forgotten by tomorrow.

Serving type: can

04-16-2013 17:10:51 | More by MasterSki

brother_kenneth

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz can -- extra from trade with thegerm87

A- Dark gold, almost red color. good amount of white foam, with a fair amount of lacing.

S- Mostly hops and malt. The citrus notes are there but more subtle. The sweet, malty smell is definitely most prominent.

T- This is very malty. Bitterness from the hops (not super citrusy in my opinion) is blended pretty well with the caramel-like sweetness from the malt. There is some pine and dark toffee at work here as well. Some citrus notes, but not really worth mentioning. Somewhat of an alcohol flavor here is well, but not really "hot". Mouth is medium and smooth, with light carbonation.

O- Had no idea what to expect with this one, but I did enjoy it. It was pretty malty but I like that once in a while. I would drink it again, and would be interested in trying more from this brewery.

Serving type: can

12-29-2012 02:17:15 | More by brother_kenneth

HTownGuy85

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had heard great things about this beer. I live in Houston too, and I love to support local businesses...so I gave it a shot. Poured into a tulip.

A - reddish amber, beautiful tan head laces well.

S - piney, typical Double IPA smell. Very subtle with this one though.

T - pine, citrus. Finishes with the pleasant dry hop taste that lingers on. Can't taste the octane even at it being 9.5% ABV, well balanced.

M - carbonation very present, refreshing. Light feel on the palate.

Overall, a damn good double IPA. The hops and malts are so harmoniously combined. Very impressed here, specially for a craft beer company that has only been opened just over a year.

Serving type: can

12-07-2012 06:06:17 | More by HTownGuy85

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.35/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz can from BeerHunter76 poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark gold with a hint of amber, hazy with tons of off-white head and lots of lace.

S: Some pungent hops (Simcoe maybe?) but this thing has a hefty malt backbone shining through. Bread, toffee even. There is a bit of earthy & herbal notes and very faint citrus but the malt dominates.

T: Follows the nose, bready with a flash of caramel, some astringent resinous notes from the hops but they aren't prominent.

MF: Creamy, some bitterness with a light touch of alcohol. Moderate dryness on the finish.

O: Not sure about age here, looks like some of the other reviews praise the hop component, and Karbachs website says this thing is 'generously' hopped with Citra (among others). IMO, malt bomb. Still drinkable.

Serving type: can

11-26-2012 17:44:42 | More by Scotchboy

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

a nice deep amber pour with 2 fingers of off-white head and great lacing.
smells of hops! piney/floral hop notes, caramel, more hops! seriously, also getting some grassy hop smell, citrus grapefruit.
bitter citrus flavor up front, heavy earth notes, not as much hop flavor as in the smell.. very boozy.
medium to full body, moderate carbonation, sticky, creamy.

a great dipa, but i wish it came through better in the flavor department.

Serving type: can

11-14-2012 01:05:05 | More by facundoCNB

GregSVT

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz can into a snifter

A: Pours a dark amber with a big white head that fades to a ring and leaves some lacing on the glass. A little darker than I usually like my DIPAs but that's not a terribly bad thing.

S: The nose is full of aromatic hops in the form of grass, grapefruit, and pine. Once that settles there is a big candied sugar and malt aroma as well.

T: The taste follows the nose but is more malty than hoppy. I get big waves of slightly burnt caramel along with dark toffee and some pine and citrus as well. Not what I was expecting and it could be these were a bit old...there's no date on the can though.

M: The feel is pretty thick and creamy. Not sure if I like my DIPAs thick or crisp but I lean towards crisper examples of the style.

O: This has to be a bit old as the hops seem to have faded a bit and the malt is really at the forefront. It was a bit too sweet and the hops weren't exactly dominating the flavor. The aromas were great though.

Serving type: can

10-17-2012 03:51:50 | More by GregSVT

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is the last of the lot (for the time being) from the wondrous JenRay whose CANtinued CANtributions to The CANQuest (TM) keep the madness humming along. Many thanks and I hope that Lunch lived up to expectations.

From the CAN: "Brewed in Texas"; "Get Down with the Clown!"; "It's a job! And a hazardous one at that. Benefits, you ask? I hardly think so. But the show must go on. So, it's with bravado that the Rodeo Clown takes his place in the arena lights. Whether or not he's insane is not important right now. It's with grit and intensity that the Clown steps in the path of almost certain destruction."

No Clowning around on the Crack 'n' Glug, either! Me and this good old boy got right down to business. I had a finger of dense, tawny head with great retention by the time that I was done. Color was a deep, reddish amber with just a gentle haze to throw off its clarity. Nose smelled of minty hops and I was ready. Send in the Clown! Mouthfeel was medium but the hops hit the ground of my tongue running and scrubbed away any loose taste buds that might have been hanging around unnecessarily. Finish presented a pleasant caramel maltiness that briefly offset the onslaught of hops, but the extreme finish lingered with a minty hoppiness that almost made me want to gargle with it. Not a bad addition to The CANQuest (TM).

Serving type: can

10-09-2012 23:41:16 | More by woodychandler

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pourd a burnt orange color wit good carbonation leaving a nice white cap, light bubbles and lacing present

S: A little booze stings the nostrils with some pine needles, caramel and dash of citrus

T: Initial caramel base with orange peel, grapefruit, light pine which transitions into a orange peel meets IBU's blend midway. The finish has a light boozey, nitter orange rind, hop bite which lingers on...

M: Medium bodied, balanced and chewy. A good amount of IBUs here.

O: A pretty good IIPA that I would not kick out of bed

Serving type: can

09-11-2012 03:02:58 | More by barleywinefiend

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another beer from a big box provided by the legendary woodychandler. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a mahogany color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of piney hops. Taste is hops, alcohol well pronounced, bitter, pines. Feels medium bodied and very dry in the mouth and overall I found this to be a mediocre beer.

Serving type: can

08-23-2012 21:04:24 | More by tone77

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.65/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark caramel color, with a beige head that laces a bit.

Aroma is initially piney, with some resinous, slight citrus and a bit of sweeter, bready malts.

Taste is a bit sweeter, with some caramel notes, bread, citrus, resins, and notes of pine. It has a low bitterness level.

It's got an upper medium body, slick and creamy.

Definitely a solid DIPA. Thanks Will!

Serving type: can

06-07-2012 01:19:57 | More by EgadBananas

zac16125

South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz can poured into a tulip glass
No born on date or other distinguishing numbers

Thanks to Zadavis for sending this over as an extra.

A: Pours a dark amber with reddish hues and 1 fingers width of light tan head, takes a fair amount of time to dissipate down,  leaves some mild spotty lacing

S: interesting but not terribly pleasant,  a big odd grainy aroma, some caramel malt sweetness, booze, almost no hop presence ,  not a fan in fact it's rather unappealing

T: on the contrary, tons of hop bitterness on the tongue, pine and grapefruit, some of the odd grainy notes come through in the taste but not much, a little bit of citrus and some caramel malts, booze comes out as it warms, but for the most part just a big hop bitterness, which I quite like

M/D: Pretty smooth, appropriate carbonation, medium bodied, drinkability is high

O: overall, I would have liked this if not for the strange and rather unpleasant aroma.  I'm glad I got to try it as I always like examples of my favorite styles from local breweries. Although I don't think I would seek this out again,  

Serving type: can

06-04-2012 01:51:53 | More by zac16125

billab914

Virginia

3.3/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz van into my Southern Tier tulip. It poured a caramel in color with a thick, foamy head to it. Nice lacing to it as I drank it and nice looking beer overall.

The aroma shows a lot of candied fruit flavors to it with a bit of caramel mixing in. I get some grapefruit and citrus rind flavors coming in it as well. It's got a lot of sweetness to it, almost to the point of being sugary.

The taste is pretty malty up front with a lot of sweeter caramel and candied fruit flavors coming out. The finish is where it starts to show more of a grapefruit, citrus rind bitterness to it. It's very sweet and almost sugary as well with the candied flavors showing up nearly throughout. I get a little bit of a metallic presence in the finish as well.

The mouthfeel is on the heavier side of the style with carbonation being moderate. Overall, it was a decent beer but it didn't really stand out in the style for me. It felt a little too sweet with the sugary, candied fruit flavors dominating a little too much for me.

Serving type: can

06-01-2012 20:26:28 | More by billab914

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I got this as a extra in a trade.
I poured this beer into a pefect pint glass. It has a nice rich dark golden color body with a nice 1' sticky white head. The smell has some pine/hop notes to it. The taste is very bitter, almost to bitter for my taste. I can taste the hops, then on the back of the tongue i get the malt. The mouth feel is really good, nice and smooth and leaves a nice hop taste on the tongue. Overall this is a good DIPA, not the best i have had but i'm glad i got to try a local brewery from another state.

Serving type: can

05-29-2012 02:06:54 | More by chefhatt

beergoot

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Received in a beer trade from Dolph1979. Thanks, again, Tim...

Dark gold body and off-white, sticky, creamy head. Hop aroma comes across with lots of pine. Taste is malt-forward. Sweet and velvety. Excellent IPA bitterness brings up the finish while the malt sweetness lingers on.

A good IIPA. No overly "alcohol-y". Good aroma and taste, hits the style.

Serving type: can

05-17-2012 21:22:21 | More by beergoot

sukwonee

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Got this one as an extra through a trade. Thanks!

A: Much darker and redder than your typical DIPA. Amber brown with 2 finger head, nice amount of lacing. It looks delicious, but I took some points off for not looking like a DIPA.

S: I don't mind the smell, but it has a weird mix of grain and hops. Like I said, I don't mind it. You can actually malt from this. Some fruit notes

T: Ok, so this is not a very good tasting IPA. It starts off with a little bit of fruit notes (grapefruit maybe) then quickly changes to wheat? or some sort of grain, followed by unpleasant bitterness (pine notes as well). It's a bit on the sweet side and it's got more malt than it needs.

M: Near perfect. Smooth, yet got good amount of carbonation. Mouth feel saves the taste a bit.

O: It looks, smells, feels good, but doesn't taste too good. I am glad I got to try this. I haven't had any DIPA like this before.

Serving type: can

05-11-2012 01:15:57 | More by sukwonee

DevilsCups

New York

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

What an odd brew we have here. 12oz can served into a Duvel tulip.

A - Looks like a barleywine. Deep amber, almost red pour. Slight haze, bone white head. I must say it has very nice lacing.

S - Grainy, cantaloupe style malts with an earthy hop note way behind. No citrus or fruitiness to the hops. Kind of a quiet aroma for a DIPA.

T - This should not be classified as a double IPA. This drinks like a barleywine-light through and through. Malt forward for sure, with an earthy hop note closing out. Slightly to moderately bitter. Booze is noticeable but pleasant. This just hits more American barleywine notes than it does DIPA notes. Not bad at all, just misclassified.

M - Carbonation is nice, as is the mouthfeel. Slightly coating, but not too thick.

O - If this beer wasn't classified or rated as a DIPA, it would probably do it good. This drinks more like a light barleywine than a DIPA. If you're into malty barleywines with a slight earthy hop-bite, you'll enjoy this.

Serving type: can

04-13-2012 04:05:06 | More by DevilsCups

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Received as an extra in a trade from LadyofMuchBeer. So awesome.

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a crystal clear hazelnut hue with a very thin quarter inch head that fades to leave a light halo and a little cloud. Not much going on.

S - Smell is surprisingly not all that malty for a DIPA. Sure, the carmel and malt is still there but there are some nice light pine and citrus. While I'd love more pine/citrus I have to respect that this doesnt smell like a malt bomb.

T - Taste though on the other hand..lots of malts here. Assault of sweet carmel malts and some light earthyness. Fades to a solid bitterness that isnt too too distinguishable. Just bitter.

M - Mouthfeel is top notch here. ABV not that noticeable, not too heavy, not syrupy at all. Lightly carbonated just enough to be pleasant.

O - Overall this is a enjoyable beer out of Texas. Really liked some aspects of it. Its just tough for me, I hear IPA and I want pine and citrus, but more often than not I get a mouthfull of malts. Glad to try this brew though!

Serving type: can

04-06-2012 21:50:25 | More by rudzud

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours medium to dark orange red, amber in color. The head is quite silky and thick looking and carbonation is mild.

S - Earthy caramel malt with mild pine and citrus. More malt forward in the aroma and the hops don't have much aroma.

T - Caramel malt base up front and past the midway mark the tongue gets slammed with a healthy dose of piney and grapefruit bitterness followed by boozy effervesence and some warming on the way down. Nothing complex, just straightfoward and surprisingly very bitter. The hops are barely detectable in the nose but makes up for it on the tongue, almost agressively bitter.

M - Medium body and slight carbonation pricklies on the tongue.

O - Not setting the world on fire, this is a Double IPA that's straightforward with nice hoppy bite. This is a big beer I could keep in the fridge as a regular "go to" and not be afraid to pair with any type of food - I'm one who prefers to focus on what's in my glass at the time and this is a beer where it refreshingly doesn't matter. It doesn't require your undivided attention (in a good way).

Serving type: can

04-04-2012 00:28:00 | More by jzeilinger

gshak

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bought a 4 pack based on the reviews, and also to support a local craft brewer since we have so few here in TX.
A - clear amber color with about 3 fingers' width of head that dissipated slowly leaving some decent lacing
S - very malt forward with the hops taking a backseat.:..either that or my beer's already past its prime. Sweet caramel malts followed by slight hints of tropical fruits and pine.
T - follows the smell. Taste is opened up by sweet caramel and the hops kick in mid-palate to cut the sweetness somewhat, but not entirely. The malts are strong enough to overpower 85 IBUs worth of hops. To my taste, this crosses over the DIPA into the barleywine category. Banana esters become more pronounced as the beer warms up. The heat from the alcohol is also very noticeable.
M - on the thicker and fuller side for a dipa.
Overall - not a bad representation of the style, but there is much to improve upon. For now, I will be treating the remaining 3 cans as barleywine stuff.

Serving type: can

04-03-2012 18:02:13 | More by gshak