Boatswain American IPA - Rhinelander Brewing Company

5thOhio

South Carolina

3.38/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bomber at the local Trader Joe's for $2.29. At that price, and having had other TJ offerings, I figured it would at least be worth the money.

Pours a nice orange-copper with a half-inch off-white head that slowly dissipated to a thin film. A smattering of lacing. Aroma was malty and a little earthy.

I have to agree with the other reviews: it's not a bad beer, but not what I'd expect for an IPA. Lots of sweet malt up front with enough hop bitterness at the end to keep it from being deadly sweet. Hops are mostly piney/floral. Mouthfeel is good. Plenty of carbonation and medium thickness.

If I had done a blind tasting, I'd have probably said it was a strong ale or maybe an amber, but I certainly wouldn't have called it an IPA.

Overall, I'd buy this again, especially at that price. If you can overlook the generic brand and forget that it claims to be an IPA, it's decently drinkable. Certainly better than fizzy yellow lager.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 00:09:55 | More by 5thOhio

tr9871

Mississippi

3/5  rDev +9.9%

05-17-2013 17:19:29 | More by tr9871

UCLABrewN84

California

1.93/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a hazy dark orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, cooked vegetables, non-stick cooking spray, and subdued herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with harsh malt and medicinal-like hop flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a horrible beer with super harsh flavors that make it a huge chore even to sip on.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 04:56:29 | More by UCLABrewN84

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a tulip glass)
A- This beer pours a slightly dense deep dark orange body with a light tan cream and a slowly dancing carbonation of bubbles.

S- The flinty clean aroma has some green herbal notes in the finish that might be hops.

T- The touch of sweetness gives way to a citrus juice hop hint with a bit more hop bitterness in the finish.

M- The medium mouthfeel doesn’t have any alcohol heat and a tight little fizz.

O- The hops are very soft and the malt flavor is just a touch bigger making it a bit bland but I didn’t have high expectations for a $2.99 bomber. It was a bit watery but there was some hop bitterness that did linger.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 21:19:13 | More by rhoadsrage

darksunshaman

Ohio

2.03/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Barely worth writing a review about. This was a prime example of a poorly executed beer. I don't know what went wrong here or what would make it better, or what the brewers were actually trying to accomplish. I swear I was tasting seawater...the first beer I have poured out in it's entirety after the first taste. Glad it was under $3 for a bottle....

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 02:13:38 | More by darksunshaman

kojevergas

California

2.76/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

6.7% ABV confirmed. 650 ml brown glass bottle with standard unbranded gold pressure cap served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are below average given its current ratings.

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

A: Pours a three finger beige colour head of fair cream, decent thickness, and pretty good (~3 minute) retention for the above average ABV. Body colour is a clear translucent copper. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Generally appealing for the style, but unimpressive.

Sm: Way too malt-emphatic. Light floral hop character, but mainly just malts. Clean grainy malts. Horribly simple. No yeast character or alcohol is detectable. Not very appealing considering the style. A mild strength aroma.

T: Overly sweet malts. Bland grains. Severely limited floral hops. No yeast character or alcohol comes through. Simple, boring, and bland. Uninteresting. Poorly constructed for the style. Lacks balance.

Mf: A bit thin. Smooth and wet. Carbonation is off. Okay body. Poor presence on the palate. Doesn't suit the flavour profile all that well. Disappointing.

Dr: A badly executed beer that doesn't even satisfy the parameters of the style. Hides its ABV decently. It's drinkable but forgettable. The price point could be worse, but it's still not worth picking up. I certainly won't be getting it again. Very underwhelming.

Low C

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 05:04:25 | More by kojevergas

Jemonster

California

3.13/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 2.5

A: Nice clarity, golden body with small bubbled and heavy looking carbonation. Thin white head indicative of the style.

S: Lots of sweet malt up front. Sweet white sandwich bread. Not smelling much in the way of hops aside from a light citrus scent, like the sweet lime.

T: Sugar bomb, no idea how they got this so sweet. Tastes like it came off the yeast a little too early and then was force carbonated. Not even close to 75 IBU worth of hops like the bottle says. Very, very mild hop bitterness in the aftertaste, no aroma hop flavors in the middle...did they forget the hops that they meant to add? Tastes like a standard pale ale, and a light one.

M: Nice and creamy, they did this part well. Really excellent feel, nice carbonation and body. Isn't perfect though, because the sweetness distracts.

O: This might be nice for some people who don't like the bitterness of an IPA, but the problem is that this IS an IPA. Maybe I've been drinking too many DIPAs. It would make a not-bad pale ale and would have received better scores as such.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 03:53:34 | More by Jemonster

bcm75

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -8.4%

03-23-2013 18:32:44 | More by bcm75

marct

Nevada

2.5/5  rDev -8.4%

03-02-2013 04:44:11 | More by marct

Chadhowie

California

3.75/5  rDev +37.4%

02-16-2013 18:46:28 | More by Chadhowie

katan

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

500ml into a pint

A - Pours a brown clear color. Light white head formation.

S - Lightly citrusy, a little bit sweet from the malts. Has some grainy corn aspect to it.

T - Starts off smooth and sweet, lightly malty. Mid-stream gets some harsh graininess and some bitterness. More or less balanced. Finishes with a little bit of sweetness.

M - Moderate body, lighter in carbonation. A little sticky in the finish. No alcohol warmth detected.

O/D - An unremarkable beer in just about every way. Like this beer was designed totry to be a decent IPA while cutting every corner.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 17:50:57 | More by katan

hreb

Washington

2.74/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

22oz bomber served in pint glass. Beer pours a slightly hazed orange amber with no head. Smells actually a little fruity / estery. Flavor is moderately hoppy, though a little bit metallic. I'm reminded of an old (as in skunky) lager in a can. Body is pretty thin and considering the non-trivial ABV I would have hoped for a little more malt. And considering the label claims 79 IBU I would have hoped for more hop flavor. The bitterness isn't overpowering, but it isn't interesting or flavorful, either. Would not recommend. But hey, it's cheap!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 03:10:31 | More by hreb

ShippinUpToBoston

3/5  rDev +9.9%

02-03-2013 01:09:28 | More by ShippinUpToBoston

doucmehu

Wisconsin

1.75/5  rDev -35.9%

01-17-2013 02:19:07 | More by doucmehu

plaid75

New York

2.65/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured a dark brass hue with a two finger frothy white head. There was very good retention and sticky lacing.

The smell featured sweet adjunct malt and a grassy hop.

The taste consisted of a cloyingly sweet malt, corn and a prickly herbal hop.

The mouthfeel was full and creamy.

Overall a poorly constructed IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 02:08:46 | More by plaid75

Zanico

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev +0.7%

01-06-2013 01:25:23 | More by Zanico

AndrewMichael

Virginia

2.5/5  rDev -8.4%

01-05-2013 21:18:16 | More by AndrewMichael

CWhite

Wisconsin

1/5  rDev -63.4%

12-25-2012 05:48:10 | More by CWhite

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +64.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Boatswain H.L.V. Ale
650 ml bottle, no apparent freshness date
$1.99 @ Trader Joe's #719 in Omaha, NE

Appearance: Clear deep-ruby body beneath a frothy head of off-white. Very good head retention and lacing.
Aroma: Distinct yeasty fruitiness of apples and light pear alongside citrus (mainly orange) mixed with caramelish malt ; all-the-while backed by leafy, grassy, and floral hops. (EKG?) Wonderful. Bright hops!
Taste: Mimics the aroma, but wider (not necessarily fuller). More nutty; wider caramel. Solid bitterness at 80 IBU's (as listed on the label). Toast, caramel, fruit, straw, grass, mineral... and a suggestion of pine and light citrus - nicely rounded and balanced.
Mouthfeel: Medium-full. Gently bristling, very-fine bubbled moderate carbonation. Smooth.
Overal: Superb English character with bright fruit upfront that fades into dry hoppiness. Superbly charming. Never really reveals it's strength at 7% abv.
Overall: Impressive.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 04:30:05 | More by NeroFiddled

spakman

California

3/5  rDev +9.9%

12-24-2012 01:25:33 | More by spakman

skm

South Carolina

2.5/5  rDev -8.4%

12-14-2012 01:43:07 | More by skm

JellyJacket

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -8.4%

12-11-2012 07:20:55 | More by JellyJacket

MadScientist

New York

2.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: A dark amber with orange highlights and decent clarity. The head is off white, doesn't form a good head stand and quickly settles to a thin cap

S: Moderately-low citrus hops with some caramel malt and a moderately-low diacetyl aroma. There is bit of and orange ester. It smell like it's an older bottle of IPA.

T: The sweetness is the first thing I noticed with a moderate malty sweetness with a moderately-strong hops bitterness. The hops flavor again indicates that this isn't all that fressh with a moderately-low citrus hops flavor that is kind of dull. There is moderate caramel flavor to the malt and a light fruity ester from the yeast. The balance is moderately bitter with the finish being off-dry. The aftertaste is a moderate bitterness and the light fruitiness.

M: Medium bodied with moderately-strong carbonation and a light creaminess. There is a very light slickness.

O: Not an impressive IPA and not worth tracking down a fresh example. It's too malty sweet and not really all that dry on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 00:39:59 | More by MadScientist

Arithmeticus

Maryland

2.23/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured room temp in hotel flared glass

A: good carb; terrible head (very thin); light, very clear light orange
S: has a macrobrew stench; not at all expected, given the promise of a DIPA
T: tastes like a hoppy Euro strong; not much complexity; has carrot and a bit of bubblegum flavor; the boozy element is not well blended
M: buzzy, sharp

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 04:49:59 | More by Arithmeticus

WhitmansNiece

Massachusetts

2/5  rDev -26.7%

11-17-2012 00:47:40 | More by WhitmansNiece