Sweetwater IPA - SweetWater Brewing Company

chickenflea

Florida

3.89/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12oz: Hazy golden color, small white head that settles quickly. Good lacing. Grapefruit aroma with a touch of spiciness. Dried apricot sweetness also in the nose. A very nice aroma. Taste is very sweet with just the right amount of bittering for an IPA. Hops taste more floral than the citrusy aroma promised. The finish is long and steady with no odd tangents. Texture is a little sticky. Carbonation is above average - biting. The carbonation gives the beer a refreshing quality. A nice IPA the selection of hops (Columbia for bittering, and Golding for aroma) made this IPA interesting.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 10:23:31 | More by chickenflea

davey101

Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Best if enjoyed by 02/13/13. Thanks for the extra sommersb.

A - Pours a vibrant orange body with one finger of off white foam. Great lacing and retention.

S - Grapefruit and some pine followed by a solid caramel malt backbone.

T - Similar to the nose. Grapefruit ad piney hops followed by a very sweet malt backbone. Basic, simple, tasty, to the point.

M - Light to medium bodied with decent carbonation. Highly drinkable with a nice lasting bitterness. Very clean and refreshing.

O - Probably a bit old at this point, but still a very solid and highly drinkable IPA. Proves the point that a hoppy beer should have a solid malt base to hold up to a bit of age.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 23:11:11 | More by davey101

at7000

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I'm going with a 4.5 for this one. Hands down, an excellent IPA. More of a classic/traditional style IPA. And not one of the currently trendy IPAs, which favour a syrupy, overly malty, sweet taste/finish. What a really IPA should be, plenty of bitter hop taste, and a nice bitter/dry, and slightly crisp finish. (Not that cloying malty/syrupy taste, prevalent in many of the current IPAs)

I'm surprised Sweetwater got their IPA right. I have not been too impressed with their other beer, but they hit a home-run with this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 18:34:06 | More by at7000

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4.16/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle from Total Wine Tampa FL for 2$

Appearance - Slightly hazy dark gold colour with an average size fizzy off-white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some great lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes.

Smell - Hops, malts, caramel, apricots

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel and malts mixed with hops. There is also some grapefruit mixed with some tropical fruit flavours like pineapple/guava and some apricots. It ends with a fruity sweet aftertaste with a medium to low amount of hop bitterness.

Overall – My kind of IPA.. lots of fruity juicy flavours. I'd like a little more in the hop department, but this is still a beer that I'd be happy drinking the rest of my life.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 00:56:12 | More by spinrsx

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.29/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle from Bullocks (Woodstock, GA). 8.99/ 6-pack. Bottled 12/18/12. Served in a Sweetwater snifter.

Pours deep golden amber with one full finger of fluffy head that laces well.

Smells of resinous grapefruit, pine and floral hops. Nice.

Taste follows the nose. Grapefruit, pine, faint pimeapple, floral, pepper and sweet biscuit. Crisp and tasty.

Slick medium feel and mildly oily with a zesty dose of carbonation. Long dry finish full of more tropical fruity hops.

Not sure why I don't drink this more often. It's a relatively cheap, year-round, widely available (even in local Walmarts and grocery chains) and freakin good IPAa but I only buy a sixer maybe once a year. Definately the best availabe local IPA and can hold it's own against most of the big boys (Two Hearted, Jai Alai, Centenial). Very much worth trying if you aren't already familiar.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 03:26:39 | More by ThickNStout

match1112

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Received this in a BIF from hippityhophead24! Label clearly states that it's best if enjoyed by 02/18/13. Clear amber body produces a thin loosely bubbled head that leaves some spider web like lacing. Aroma is pretty one dimensional. Grapefruit hops overpower anything else that might be in this beer. Taste is very grapefruity as well. Although some caramel sweetness and maybe a hint of cracker poke thru. Carbonation is decent but this just feels a little thin and watery for an IPA. Long bone dry finish with more of that dry plain cracker on the finish. Overall this is a good IPA that is easy to drink. Just seems a little too one dimensional to get the praise that the big boys get nation wide.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 21:06:03 | More by match1112

Cobrito

Georgia

2.38/5  rDev -41.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Thought I'd give one of the more popular, highly-touted local brews another chance. Didn't much like it the first time, but reviewers who like it describe it as citrusy and hop-forward, a style very much to my liking. Made sure I got a fresh bottle--best by date of March 13, which means it's only two weeks old. Here goes.

Not much head for such a fresh beer. Standard amber-copper, mostly translucent.

Aroma is of grapefruit peels. Did they actually put them in there? Some earthy smells, but faint. Aroma pretty one-dimensional and kind of un-beerlike in a way.

Ok this is no different than my first try. Beer is not only one-dimensional, but also rather thin; ingredients don't hold together well. There is something clearly off about this beer. There is grapefruit, yes, and there are two or three other flavors, one is earthy, the other is almost artificial chemically, I hate to say it.

A down-the-drainer, I can't believe it gets so many good reviews.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 03:20:59 | More by Cobrito

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear amber in color with significant amounts of visible carbonation and some golden yellow highlights. The beer has a three finger tall dense foamy light beige head that very slowly reduces to a finger tall film covering the entire surface of the beer with a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of citrus/grapefruit hops with just a hint of tropical fruit hops and caramel malts.

T: Upfront there is a light amount of caramel hops that contribute a light amount of sweetness along with moderate to strong flavors of citrus/grapefruit hops and a very light hint of tropical fruit hops. Very light amounts of lingering bitterness in the finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Crisp.

O: Overall this beer is very well balanced between the sweetness of the malts and the bitterness of the hops. The beer is easy to drink with the very enjoyable hop flavors and I would definitely have a couple of these in a session.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 01:46:16 | More by dbrauneis

rdilauro

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

My brother-in-law brought this one up to us from Hilton Head, SC. It poured a dirty amber color reminding me of a wheat beer. Medium light colored head. The aroma was outstanding. A perfect match of citrus and hops. It almost reminded me of the bouquet you get from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
The taste was nice big and crisp with the perfect blend of bitterness to go along with the mouthful. It was a type of IPA that kept on making me go back for another sip and another. Very thrist quenching and satisfying.

Thanks to my bro for bringing this one north

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 16:16:15 | More by rdilauro

fmccormi

New York

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Straight pour from 12oz pry-off bottle a 25cl Duvel Single tulip; freshness date of February 27, 2013 printed in white ink (on yellow paper—seriously, Sweetwater?) near the bottom left corner of the label (“BEST IF ENJOYED BY: 02/27/13”). It’s hard to read, but it’s there and it’s legible. From what I can tell, Sweetwater is supposed to have a 90-day freshness period, so that would mean this was bottled around November 29, 2012, making this bottle just 11 days old on the date of consumption. YASS, FRESH IPAs!

Appearance (4.0): Two solid fingers of pretty tight, cream-colored foam rises from the pour, capping a crystal clear, light copper colored body. As the head dies down, it leaves a few chunky legs of lace and some good, thick retention on the surface.

Smell (4.5): Excellent aroma here, with a very fresh, bright mix of citrus peels and fresh-cut grass making up the initial hop punch. Tangerines, a light pinecone aroma, and some lightly sweet, biscuity malt body fill out the nose, and it’s a nice, balanced effect.

Taste (4.0): Nice little punch of borderline-astringent citrus pith bitterness leads on the palate, followed by some surprisingly subtle floral hop notes paired with a nice, malt character that comes off as tasting kind of like medium-toasted wheat bread. Really dig the floral character in the middle—wish it were more pronounced, to be honest, because the citrus peel bitterness is nice but it comes off a bit as a one-trick pony. But it’s not bad at all, just straight-forward. The malt adds just a light sweetness that at no point becomes more noticeable than the hops or toasted character of the malt—this is nicely balanced. The finish is mostly citrus peel / borderline medicinal bitterness, but not overly harsh.

Mouthfeel (4.0): Nice mouthfeel—carbonation is solid and full, soft and expansive, never prickly. The body is on the light side of medium-weight, and finishes solidly dry but not parching—a good combination that invites the next sip.

Overall (4.0): This beer is, above all else, an easy-drinking, straight-forward, reliable IPA. They’re not pulling any punches with this beer, and it does everything an IPA should do without ever coming off as out of whack in any regard: the hops are relatively one-dimensional but solid and not overly harsh, the malt is solid enough but neither too sweet or too toasted, and the hops are always front and center. Solid everyday (hoppy) drinker.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 00:24:45 | More by fmccormi

Mojo

Alabama

3.88/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle -> World Market Tulip

This beer pours a light amber/deep gold with a one finger head, poor retention, and some lacing left behind. Hazy in appearance, there is some very small particles of suspended yeast in it. Smell is floral, pine, and citrus. Taste follows the nose basically. Balance is excellent between sweet and bitter. The taste is not in your face and is one of the weaker tasting IPAs that I've had. But it is a good one and easy to drink. Mouthfeel is nice with a pleasing mild aftertaste. I'd try this one if you never have. Not the best ever, but a nice offering nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 06:38:47 | More by Mojo

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

9/23/12 best buy date

A - As expected very hazy with some floaties. Color is a amber brown with a 1/4 inch of head that settles to a thick lace ring.

S+T - As expected with age it is more malt forward. Mild citrus hops, biscuit malts, and some caramel malt highlight.

M - Light to medium, kind of chewy.

Overall not bad I got this mixed and matched for $1.75. Not bad overall.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 04:48:05 | More by DrDemento456

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle thanks to djmichaelk. It has a "best by" date of 1/13/12 and was poured into my Duvel tulip.

Sweetwater IPA pours a lightly hazy orange, with scant tangerine highlights poking through. Maybe a finger of white foam crowns the beer and hangs around for just a minute or two. Lacing is hard to come by though. The nose is nice, with just a bit of a bready note mostly failing to pull my attention away from the bouquet of tangerine and grapefruit peel wafting out of the glass. The already slight maltiness from the aroma pretty much disappears in the flavor profile. I'm all for a dry, hop forward IPA, but there needs to be at least a little bit of a malt presence to serve as a baseline. The mildly assertive bitterness and potent grapefruit and tangerine citrus finish are all nice, but there's nothing for them to play off of. The body is nice and dry for the style, but the carbonation just lacks energy, and doesn't pop as much as it should. Sweetwater IPA is a decent brew that, with a couple minor tweaks, could be one of the better IPAs brewed on the east coast.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 04:18:18 | More by axeman9182

Shaw

Florida

3.7/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A new arrival in Florida. Impressed that bottle has a best-by date.

Pours a deep amber in color with a sticky off-white head.

Herbal hop aroma mixed with sweet tropical fruit like pineapple.

Sadly, the taste doesn't live up to the very good look and smell. Grainy, metallic flavor with an earthy hop bitterness. I'm not getting much more than that.

Fine body.

Overall an above-average IPA. There are better options out there. And while I'm drinking this almost two months before its best-by date, I can't help but wonder if this bottle isn't as fresh as it could be. I'd love to try a really fresh bottle and re-visit my review.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 05:30:46 | More by Shaw

EMass85

4.2/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Let me just say first that this is my first beer to review. I have started trying many different beers over the past 6-8 months, but just decided that I should try and think about them a little more deeply than "I like it," or "it isn't my thing"

I picked up a six pack of this in Alabama (along with two others I will review soon) when I was there visiting my girlfriend.

Appearance: Brown-orange color with some clarity and a thin head that disappeared fairly quickly.

Smell: Nice citrus smell.

Taste: Strong citrus taste, followed by malt right after being poured. After having warmed a couple of minutes, the citrus taste mellowed a bit and became very smooth.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, light carbonation, slightly bitter but not overpowering.

Overall: IPAs have very recently grown on me, and this is one of the better ones that I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 02:45:37 | More by EMass85

Flounder57

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for my brother for bringing this back to Boston from his trip to Nashville. 12 oz beer was poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger head that has reduced to a thin layer. It is a hazy pale orange color with some clarity and bubbles coming through the glass.

Smell: smells good. It smells of sweet and bready malts, and then followed by tangerine and citrus aromas.

Taste: lots of citrus up front. Tangerine and grapefruit and then there is some caramel and bready malts.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium bodied, a little dry, medium carbonation, and a little bitterness.

Overall: Another solid IPA from the east coast. Love it. Wish they could distribute up here in Boston. That would be great.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 20:07:27 | More by Flounder57

macrosmatic

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into CCB pint glass.

A: Pours a clear gold, with lots of visible carbonation. Forms a one and a half finger ginger-white foamy head.

S: Grapefruit, pine and tropical fruit hops with caramel malts with some toffee notes.

T: Follows the nose, with some spice flavors added to the hop profile. The malts are less sweet on the tongue than the smell. There is a malt flavor here near the end that isn't my preference, and the hop presence, strong up front, fades some near the swallow. Only a moderate amount of citrus pith hop bitterness in the hang.

M: Medium body, good carbonation sensation, alcohol nearly absent.

O: Good and enjoyable, although it's not the best IPA around in a six pack. Glad to have this as an option around the Tampa area though. I'll be drinking it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 22:29:13 | More by macrosmatic

CaptCleveland

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle received as an extra from excellent BA trader HopDiggityDawg.
Best until date 12/12/12.

Gold-amber elixir into SA glass. One-finger white head leaves thin rim as the tasting commences.
Plenty of thick lacing.

Floral notes, mild pine and citrus.

Smooth hop bitterness, light tropical accents. Pleasant.

Well carbonated, medium body, tart.

Decent brew, more an APA. Doesn't stand up to Head Hunter or White Rajah.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 01:05:30 | More by CaptCleveland

rexxin

New York

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving Style: Bottle.

A- Nice amber color, nice foamy head.

S- The smell is quite intricate. Hops with grapefruit/citrus tones.

T- Taste is refreshing. Its a lighter, and has nice citrus/floral tones that compliment the hops. Its a nice refresher since I have been drinking a lot of more bitter IPAs lately. I enjoyed it and the lady even liked it, too!

M- Feels nice and light with good carbonation. Good bite, too.

O- Overall this is a very nice change of pace for me. Its got some fruity overtones, while still maintaining a nice IPA taste

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 19:42:36 | More by rexxin

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

4.05/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours tagerine color with thick white head in Duvel tulip.

Smell is pungent pine and grapefruit hops.

Taste has lots of hop bitterness right from the start. Little bit of malty sweetness comes through. Cherries and tart apple comes in early with lots of good grapefruit and pine pungency.

Mouthfeel is light bodied with lots of carbonation.

Overall this is a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 01:12:14 | More by TrappistJohnMD

Clydesdale

District of Columbia

4.43/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a mostly clear amber color, with a little bit of haze. The tall, foamy head has a bit of a burnt orange tint. Retention is good, and some sticky splotches of lacing cling to the glass.

S: Some mild caramel maltiness up front. Some bright citric hop notes. I get a lot of orange - I'm guessing Centennial hops are used prominently here. A bit of lemon, grapefruit, and resiny aroma is also noticeable. Some nondescript fruitiness also lurks in the background,

T: A balanced maltiness starts this one off, with some pleasant caramel sweetness. Hop bitterness kicks in firmly, but it's integrated very nicely and not overdone. Citrus (orange, lemon, grapefruit) is prominent, with some lighter piney and fruity notes. A faint flash of tartness, even, as the bitterness gradually fades away.

M: Medium-firm body. Carbonation is a bit lighter than medium. Some faintly oily hop character before a fading, bitter dryness in the finish.

D: This is a very well-rounded IPA that showcases great American hop character with a sturdy malt backbone. Very drinkable and approachable, without compromising any personality.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 17:05:00 | More by Clydesdale

thebrood1987

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Smells of intense lemons, nice citrus and some deep resinous flavors. Smells awesome. The very juicy citrus comes in following with a hint of some lemons and ending with the herbal floral resinous bitterness. Its not too bitter though the flowing citrus flavors from the hops washes away the bitterness which is pretty awesome.. The malt mixes in with the deep resinous taste real well with a dark bready flavor.

I wish this beer came around in New Jersey because it'd be a regular for sure. The citrus and lemon quality to this beer is unreal. Its almost as juicy as juice and thats all from the hops. Very impressive beer. This beer is a perfect IPA in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 02:27:01 | More by thebrood1987

bigpatvoodoodad

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a really good IPA. Poured a nice white 2 finger head from the bottle to a pint glass. Overall, you can really taste the piney hop-kick followed by typical IPA bitterness. For me, it's not a chugging beer nor one I could drink all night. But for a good IPA, you can't go wrong with this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 23:35:53 | More by bigpatvoodoodad

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap in Atlanta.

A - Medium yellow/orange; somewhat cloudy. A small layer white head and good lacing.

S - Grapefruit, pine and light peach aromas with some malt sweetness in the background.

T - Good bitterness up front with grapefruit, pine and orange peel flavours. A light malt sweetness and some caramel flavour in the background.

M - Light to medium body. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2012 15:32:43 | More by TheSevenDuffs

JCaweinstein

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

copper colored, crystal clear, lots of carbonation. It has a two finger bubbly and white head with some nice lacing.
I really only smelled grapefruit with this but it still smelled good.
It tasted much like it smelled, with grapefruit being the first flavor I picked up, followed by toasted bread and then a small presence of caramel.
It's medium bodied, mouth coatingly smooth with citrus upfront followed by some toasted malt.
This is a very solid and tasty IPA and is very reasonably priced. I would buy this again and would really enjoy the opportunity to have it on draft.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 21:53:18 | More by JCaweinstein