Burning Bush - Golden Road Brewing

Halcyondays

California

2.3/5  rDev -33.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pint can,

A: Pours amber with a moderate white head, leaves some good lacing. Classic IPA look.

S: Grapefruit, some melon, ethanol, very light hint of smoke.

T: For a beer that claims to be partially a smoke beer, I really can't find any of it. Fairly light hop character, dominated by an astringent grapefruit, bitter melon, and green tea with some noticable ethanol.

M: Medium-bodied, very oily, astringent, fair.

O: Not a fan of this. Wish it'd given me some smoke like it promised.

Serving type: can

12-25-2012 22:51:41 | More by Halcyondays

kojevergas

California

2.8/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

16 fl oz aluminum can acquired at the Cap N Cork nearby me gaff and served into a New Belgium goblet in low altitude Los Feliz, California. Served within an hour of purchase. Expectations are average; this brewery has disappointed me in the past. Reviewed live.

Served straight from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a two finger beige colour head of nice cream and good thickness. Retention is good for the ABV. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Colour is an understated dark clear copper. Looks pretty good for the style. Lacing is decent.

Sm: Biscuit malt, caramel, caramelized malts, floral hops, and maybe a hint of pine. An average strength aroma. Not great for the style. Surprisingly malty, actually.

T: Caramelized amber malts and biscuit malts. Floral hops. Pretty middling and noncommital. No yeast or cream comes through. Little alcohol is detectable. There's some emergent hop bitterness - mainly manifested via an oily hop character - but the overall hop presence is surprisingly limited. The balance is decent, but the build is mundane. Nothing unique or special here.

Mf: Crisp, a bit oily, bitey, somewhat sharp, a touch overcarbonated, wet, and coarse or smooth depending on which part of the structure you examine. Doesn't really suit the flavours all that well.

Dr: Mundane. Another disappointing brew from Golden Road. Alcohol does come through a biteen. I really want to support my local breweries; I just wish they weren't so utterly shite. Would pair well with spicy food, I guess. Fans of the style, move along. Sculpin's probably on the same shelf.

Low C

Serving type: can

11-10-2012 06:38:13 | More by kojevergas

jegross2

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewing Burning Bush from Golden Road Brewing out of Los Angeles, California. The can informs that this beer as a "smoked IPA."

Score: 77

Canned on 09/27/12. Served in a regular ol' glass with a tulip-style opening at the top and enjoyed on 02/21/12.

Appearance: Pours a translucent amber color with a finger of off-white head that settles to thin dusting atop the brew. Poor lacing and retention. 3/5

Smell: Smoke, caramel malt, orange peel, stale piney hops. Smells like an old IPA with a good malt backbone and a nice smokiness. 3.5/5

Taste: Tastes just like the nose, but with more of a "stale IPA" flavor and less of the "good kind" of malt. Lots of stale, orangey malt. The smokiness shines in the finish, but it's not strong enough to overpower the maltiness. There seems to be a little oakiness present too, but maybe that is just my brain playing with my associative memory. 3/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, lower carbonation than expected. Very malty with a little sweetness. Nice smokey prickle on the tongue. 3/5

Overall: The uniqueness of this IPA does not save it from it's stale IPA character because the maltiness is not akin to something like Double Crooked Tree. The smokiness is a nice unique quality, and I would like to try to revisit this fresh. For now, however, I will stick to the Cedar Aged Jai Alai if I want a stale IPA with a grace-saving uniqueness.

Cost: $8.99 for a four pack of 16 oz cans.

Serving type: can

02-22-2013 05:54:55 | More by jegross2

charlzm

California

3.18/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Consumed at the brewery on January 15, 2012.

Beer is a slightly hazy medium amber with a two-finger, off-white fine head.

Aroma is hoppy; herbal and grapefruit notes.

Flavor starts off ashy: not as bad as licking a charcoal briquette, but more than a little smoky. Resiny, piny hops emerge form the smoke in a few moments. Notably bitter on the finish. As the beer aged in the glass for a little while, the ash character faded and the beer became more like an Arrogant Bastard offspring, though far more muted than that storied brew.

Mouthfeel is slightly oily but otherwise unremarkable.

Not a huge fan of this one.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2012 20:51:57 | More by charlzm

ehammond1

California

3.25/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On Tap

Golden Road Brewing Grand Opening Party
Golden Road Brewing
Los Angeles, CA

Dark copper with golden auburn edges with a thin white head. Spots and lines of lacing left down the glass.

Very mild pine hop aroma mixed with lots and lots of smoke and a slight woody (cedar?) character. Interesting and certainly unique, though the hops completely take a back seat here.

The flavor isn't quite as accessible or enjoyable as the aroma. The smoke is dominant and reminds me a lot of campfire. The hops are hidden by the smoke, though there's a touch of sweet caramel pressing up against the smoke. While interesting, I would never want to drink more than a few ounces of this.

Medium mouthfeel with ample carbonation.

A bad idea, in my opinion, executed very well--I just don't see a smoked IPA catching on. For Golden Road's sake, I'd happily be wrong.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2011 01:44:11 | More by ehammond1

jeonseh

Indiana

3.28/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Can poured into a FFF tulip

A - Copper with an orange tint. Clean body with sight reflective. Nice two finger head comprised of small carbonation bubbles. Leaves nice lacing down the sides as it settles to a small layer of foam on top.

S - Smells pine, lemon, slight grassy, light cedar and small dose of smoke.

T - Light orange up front before the smokiness comes in. This tastes like the cedar smokiness you'd find in pork or kielbasa, not the charred smokiness you find in some matter beer. It actually does taste like kielbasa and reminds me of the ham on rye beer that FFF did. The beer is als slightly salty in the middle. The finish is slight hop bitterness that does not linger.

MF - Low carbonation with a slightly thick body. Leaves a slight resin layer that remains in the finish. Finish is rather short

O - This is an interesting beer to say the least. The flavor profile with the kielbasa smokiness is rather unique and I'm not sure if I like it or not. One sip and I think that it is too salty and a bit off while another and I think it is a good tastin, albeit different smoked beer than I'm used to. I'm going to go with the latter and I'd recommend trying it if you come across it.

Serving type: can

12-31-2012 01:20:16 | More by jeonseh

UCLABrewN84

California

3.53/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Better Weather Fest at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a clear orange with a foamy orange-white head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest, and some slight smoke aromas. Taste is much the same with a mild smoke and hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is tasty but pretty weird.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2012 05:47:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

DoubleJ

California

3.58/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Smoked IPA? While I do like smoked beers, I'm not totally confident how a smoked IPA would work. Here's a pour from 38 Degrees to give me an idea. On to the beer:

Pretty orangish red color with good head retention on top. The aroma is more IPA forward than smoke. Tangerine and grapefruit make much of the nose, though there is a dendril of smokiness in the background. Judging from the nose, I began to expect a subtle smokiness in an IPA when I tasted it, and that's just what I got. The first note is some modest smoked malt, then the hops arrive and bring grapefruit and a brush of bittersweet citrus. There's a lingering bitterness with choes of smoke in the aftertaste of this medium bodied beer.

This was fun to try once. A little more smoke would certainly put the smoked aspect out in the open.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2012 17:10:53 | More by DoubleJ

Jayli

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at the brewery 11/30
Served in a tulip

A: This beer pours a golden amber color with a 1/4 inch of white head. Head recedes to a film that maintains the whole way. Sheets of lacing are left on the glass.

S: Nose is smoke, some pine and earthy hop notes, a touch of pine and a bit of bready malt.

T: Smoke taste is something that comes after bit - perhaps as the beer warms a bit more. Initially starts with a bit of piney hop flavoring, earthy, grassiness. Middle begins a heavy caramel and toffee body where the smokiness comes in. Finish has a smoked grapefruit, citrus finish.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation, very oily body.

O: Goes down very smooth for an 8%, rather tasty, good size kick, somewhat filling, it's an american IPA - yet smoked, so how does one qualify that? I've not had a smoked IPA before. It was interesting and worth checking out, it's a rather decent beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2012 05:03:58 | More by Jayli

dogfishandi

New York

4.06/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to APreacher for the extra!

16 oz. can at fridge temp poured into a snifter. "Canned on 9.27.12" stamped on the bottom (making it roughly 4 months old). Smoked IPA... Yes please!!

Pours out deep orange color, reminiscent of a fire, with a bit of haziness. A small layer of off white head that has some decent retention and lots of nice sticky lacing.

Not a whole ton of hops in the aroma, maybe a bit woody hops. More malty than anything. A bit of light caramel malt with a bit of a campfire like smokiness. As it warms the smokiness becomes more and more and seems to take over leaving any sign of hops a faded memory. Also a bit of alcohol becomes present as it warms even further.

Some woody pine hops with a light citrus note balanced nicely by caramel malt and a subtle, but nice campfire like smokiness. Finishes with a nice lingering hop bitterness and a bit of the smoke.

Medium bodied, feels solid for an IPA.

What an interesting beer. The IPA side of things isn't tremendous, but the addition of a little bit of smoke compliments the beer so nicely. I thought the 2 flavors might've clashed, but that wasn't the cause at all. I'd drink this again if I had the opportunity.

Serving type: can

02-05-2013 23:23:47 | More by dogfishandi

slayer3604

California

4.38/5  rDev +25.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got to try this at the opening night event on tap out of the Firestone trailer!!

A-ruddy brown, nice and hazy, with a very decent head that stuck around for a good while.

S-Had slight wisps of smoke with piny/floral/citric hopping

T-I was blown away that an 8%'er was drinking this smooth...the malt, hop and arbitrary smokiness mingled very very well, and was just too damn smooth for its (or my) own good.

M-Firm, but with a clean finish. Impressive.

O-I had a few of these. It was a great take on a "smoked IPA" which I had never tried before. I'm a huge rauch fan, and this was one of the better examples yet! Cheers to Meg, Ryan and all the brewers and cool staff at GR!

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2011 06:33:58 | More by slayer3604

Philousa

California

4.47/5  rDev +28.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Consumed on tap at the Surly Goat in Hollywood:

A golden amber with frothy white head that leaves rings on the glass like a cappuccino might if it were a beer. Citrusy, earthy hops dominate the aroma with a hint of golden baked biscuit. Smoky rye malt takes over the palate leaving you with the hops and smoky aftertaste lingering. The two aftertastes don't battle it out, instead they work together. Both are not overpowering and compliment one another in a surprising way. This felt just like a pale ale should, very balanced.

I went into this not knowing it was smoked, and I'm not sure I would have ordered it if I knew since I don't like most smoked beers. Golden Road really delivered, though. I really enjoyed the smoky flavor, which wasn't taking the whole spotlight. The hops shined in the nose and both were delicate enough to be complimentary. During my SoCal road trip, this is the first beer of which I'd like a growler.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2011 22:10:16 | More by Philousa