Ass Kisser Double IPA - Ass Kisser Ales

beer2day

North Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bought this more for the bottle than what would be in it. Beer was actually a bit better than I anticipated.

Orange gold pour with faintest hints of red. Almost no head and zero lace.

Nutty, grainy nose. Some light citrus, but almost unnoticeable. Decent sized shot of alcohol contributes to the mild hop burn.

Balanced malt body against the alcohol and nutty finish. Caramel malt with bits of toffee. Boozy finish, with toasted nuts and more sweet caramel. Hints of grapefruit appear in the finish.

Body is a bit thin to stand up to 9%.

I wasn't expecting much, but the balanced flavors were a nice surprise.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 02:05:54 | More by beer2day

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a one finger head atop an apple cider body, cloudy, amber and orange highlights, lighter up top, light caramel head

Aroma is nutty malt and grapefruit

Taste follows the nose with a nice caramel flavor, well balanced

Medium body and some carbonation, relatively smooth

Overall a decent DIPA woth trying

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 23:12:23 | More by Stocean1

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Part two of my introduction to this new-to-my-area brewery. It pours a clear light-tawny amber topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises light caramel, grapefruit zest, lemon zest, light biscuit, and a very light touch of cilantro. The taste brings in more of the same, with a bit of grass thrown in for good measure. There's a good amount of balance here, with the hops subdued enough so that they don't o'erwhelm, but pronounced enough so that they still hold center stage, if less ostentatiously than other troupes would. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a pretty dry finish. Overall, a fairly solid DIPA, one that prefers balance over hop-centricity.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 17:29:13 | More by TMoney2591

stabzmcgee

Colorado

3.63/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearace is cloudy and has a load of sediment. aroma is floral with some grassyness. Taste is almost dirty with hops. grassy and coppery rust taste from hops. Mouthfeel is resinous and sticky, which is what I like in a DIPA. Overall I feel i might have gotten the bottom of a pour or like my DIPA got warm. There was an unusual amount of sediment in my bottle, floating around.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 01:37:10 | More by stabzmcgee

Zorro

California

3.5/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear amber colored beer with a tiny white colored head. This is in the darker range of color I call IPA Orange.

Smell is sweet and malty with a good dose of C-Hops. Smells mostly of grapefruit and sweet tea. Slight brown sugar smell, honestly this smells like a Barleywine.

Starts out sweet and mildly hoppy and bitter, tastes like Barleywine. Sweet with mostly citrus flavor. Bitterness is mild but in here. Sweet aftertaste. They can call this whatever they want too, but it is a Barleywine.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Overall, this is a sweet and mild Barleywine. Needs more aggressive hopping to be an Imperial IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 01:25:35 | More by Zorro

heysuz

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Intro: Split a 22oz in tulip glasses with a friend.

Appearance: Nice thick head with big bubbles that stays around and lacing that clings, lots of carbonation on the glass, and a light amber coloring. The head and the lacing is better than some in the class, the coloring is worse than others.

Smell: Subdued hops smell for a DIPA with very slight lemon notes.

Taste: Strong bitter hoppy resin taste and mouthfeel, a lot more than the smell would lead-on.

Mouthfeel: Some resin like coating in the mouth and very dry, at the end you are left with the bitter resin of the hops.

Overall: This is a good beer, not as strong in the flavor department as other DIPAs, but still has good hop flavoring, just not as balanced as others.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 20:46:08 | More by heysuz

BBP

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours into a dark amber with very minimal head and lacing. Only a slight amount of film presents itself in the beginning.

The aroma is caramel malt and more caramel malt. There's definitely hops in there, but they're a secondary aroma. It leads me to expect a beer somewhat like DFH 90, but a tad less rich.

Surprisingly, this is a very light DIPA. There's not a ton of bitterness at all, but there is enough for some balance to the semisweet caramel malt. Sadly, the aftertaste is very brief, offering a nice finish which I would could have hung around a bit longer. Over a while, the aftertaste diminishes to the point where you wish it was gone anyways.

The body is a bit thin with overaggressive carbonation trying to fill the void. The finish is very dry and slightly sticky.

Overall, this has been one of the few DIPAs that didn't really impress me all that much. It tends to be a style I find always hits the spot for me, but it just seems that this one has far too much malt for the hops it provides, and it leaves a bit of a weird hop aftertaste.

I don't really like to bash beers, and while this is a good beer, it could use a little bit of polishing.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 04:54:27 | More by BBP

Jayli

Massachusetts

1.88/5  rDev -43.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Consumed 10/14
Poured in to a pint glass

A: This beer pours a hazy burnt orange, some floating sediment is visible, and a one finger of khaki sudsy head. Head recedes quickly to a film that retains and leaves sheets of lacing on the glass.

S: Nose is caramel malt and fruit...and not well balanced...

T: Taste is caramel malts that really dominate the profile with an oddly balanced fruit notes...mostly mango flavoring with an odd cough syrup like alcohol flavoring.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation, slick feel.

O: Does not go down easy, not tasty, somewhat filling, big kick, and not a very good representation of style. I tried to like this beer, I really did, but with each passing sip, the more wretched it became. This was a drain pour for me, and the first one in about 2 years.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 18:32:49 | More by Jayli

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.1/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Split a 22 bomber with a buddy.

A - Pours a dark, to a medium orange with no head at all. Maybe a few buubles float to the top.

S - Carmel, orange, Malty sweet.

T - Very sweet, Carmel, bready, orange.

D - Low carbonation and average body. sweet.

O - I think I liked the art better than the beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 23:51:26 | More by HuskyinPDX

Viciousknishs

Virginia

2.73/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A- deep amber color with a finger of off white head. Below average head retention.

S- big malt forward aromas of burnt caramel and toffee. Some leafy hops on the finish with a big asprin character.

T- very malty burnt caramel and toffee flavors up front. Minimal Herbal leafy hops on the finish with a touch of asprin.

MF- syrupy sticky mouthfeel with a medium body and average carbonation.

D- low drinkability. The malts sit heavy on the palate with the faintest touch of hops that a great DIPA needs.

Overall this was a very one dimensional brew that is begging for more hops.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 01:27:45 | More by Viciousknishs

StarshipPoopers

Ontario (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A - Cloudy orange with a thin and creamy white head. Decent retention and a little bit of lacing.

S - Smells heavily of sweet malts, gives off an almost rye smell which was off-putting to me. No hop presence in the nose. I didn't see a date on the bottle so I have no idea how fresh it was, but the store had just got it in.

T - Malts. Sweet caramel with not much else coming through, the taste was rather one-dimensional and bland. Hop presence does slowly accumulate as you drink, but all this does is leave a strange bitterness in the aftertaste.

M/D - Good drinkability. It had medium carbonation and felt smooth and slightly creamy.

O - I don't know what hops were in there, but they may as well have not even been in there. They didn't show up in the aroma or in the majority of the taste, so all they did was subtract from the beer (which was already meh to begin with). This was one of those beers that you get put off of right from the get-go when you smell the bottle after popping the cap. I've had malt-heavy DIPAs before, but this one didn't even come across as a DIPA.

I'd say a C+.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 19:34:04 | More by StarshipPoopers

ccrida

Oregon

2.42/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bomber poured into a tall tumbler, Ass Kisser is a murky burnt gold / pale auburn, with thin off-white head that leaves scattered lace.

Smell is malty, really dusty. Hops?

Taste is, uhmm, not so kick ass. There's a firm hoppy bitterness, but the flavor is really earthy, dirt, aspirin. Smoother then an epic fail could be, but as my taste in DIPAs go, it's not good. It's more like a 4x English bitter. A little peanut butter on the aftertaste, which I get from certain American hops.

Mouthfeel is a bit thick, dry, slick.

Drinkability is low. This is a heavy, hot gut bomb. I was down for the count.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 04:11:40 | More by ccrida

ArrogantB

Colorado

2.93/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22oz bottle received as an extra from match1112, thanks man! Orange color, decent head, looks alright. Smell is boring malts, no hops, meh. The taste is balanced between malt and hops but the hops only impart bitterness and in a bad way. It was literally like bitter aspirin, not a fan of this one at all. Oddly this one said it was brewed in San Jose, CA.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 01:44:53 | More by ArrogantB

mryuk

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours an unfiltered orange with two fingers of head.

smell is very sweet with molasses with very little else. almost no hops.

taste is also very sweet disappointingly not hoppy at all for an "ipa".

mouth is medium-thick with good carbonation.

overall not very good. way too sweet with almost no hops.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 02:29:01 | More by mryuk

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Rahr & Sons : Ass Kisser

22oz bomber. Pours a hazed orange in color. Aroma of floral hops, big sweet malt and ale yeast fruityness. In the taste, malty, with brown sugar, caramel, and almost barleywine like in it's bigness. Alcohol is there. The hops are on the edges, with a small bitterness, citrus and herbal elements. Full bodied, smooth creamy yet chewey feel. The Ass Kisser is a strong ale that may as well be called Ass Kicker. I can only assume this wasn't the freshest of bottles, as the malt seems to have overtaken the hops and dominated the flavor profile. Still, Rahr & Sons proves they can make 'em strong.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 01:56:26 | More by Stinkypuss

jeffjeff1

California

3.23/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I picked this up at Monument Wines and Spirits a few days ago.

Appearance- cloudy copper color, very thin head

Smell- some hops and malt

Taste- hop bitterness from the start, piney and floral hops

Mouthfeel- medium bodied

Drinkability- pretty good but light for a DIPA, probably won't buy it again

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 01:23:46 | More by jeffjeff1

Dmann

California

2.65/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A very non traditional DIPA, the name alone had me interested enough to purchase once but I don't think I will get it again. The beer poured a cloudy copper color with a thin white head. Smell was very bready and malty with a slight hint of citrusy hops. Flavor was a mixed bad with a powerful malt presence, slight citrus hop bite in the middle and an unexpected nuttiness on the back end finish. For a beer at 9% abv the alcohol flavor is not very prominent at all. Mouthfeel was thick and not over carbonated, but the heavy malt flavor translated into a heavier mouthfeel as well.

This tasted like a beer that does not know its own identity. Definitely not hoppy enough to be a DIPA and a confusing malt profile that made this a not too enjoyable experience.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 02:44:50 | More by Dmann

caddybuyer

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a snifter

A-Pretty bright copper amber with a near filted quality to it. Very little head to speak of, and that is a shame, because the coloration is very nice.

S-Not picking up any of the malts that one would normally assoicate with a DIPA. Earthy, bready rich caramel malts and some sugary caramelized dark fruits. Smells like a barleywine.

T-Rich sweet creamy malts mesh into bubblegum and caramel. Mild citrus rind with a hint of sweetness is drenched in astringent, but not necessarily tasty hops that round out the finish. I would not classify this as a DIPA, but probably put it in the "catch all" strong ale category. That said, it is not terribly drinkable, or tasty, and while interesting, I'm not sure why I would buy this again.

M-Creamy texture and decent carbonation balance.

D-Interesting beer that I have no need to revisit again.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 22:18:36 | More by caddybuyer

MusicaleMike

Pennsylvania

2.23/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2

I picked up this bottle on my journey to Boston recently. I have not seen it in Philly before.

No freshness date on the bottle. I poured it into my snifter beer glass, which according to the label is the way "to get maximum aroma and flavor."

The beer pours a rich copper color with an attractive, cream-colored head. Hazy body, and no lacing on the glass. Appears fairly dark for the style, but then again, what isn't acceptable in the world of IIPA's?

The aroma is where this beer loses it for me. Unless they are using an aroma hop which I am totally unfamiliar with (completely possible...), then I think that are either using the wrong hops for the job or they just don't understand what someone is looking for in a Double IPA. Sweet nose, with some hints of plum, it smells heavily dominated by the malts and alcohol.

The taste is obviously no better. You get a sweet caramel flavor, followed my honeyish notes and then a lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. No real bitterness up front, and the bitterness on the back end isn't the most pleasant either. This is "Double" for sure, but no IPA....

As for the carbonation level and the mouthfeel, I think this is excellent. The beer has a soft, almost creamy texture and there really isn't much wrong with it.

I do not dislike this beer, but I do take issue with the labeling of it as a Double IPA. Check your facts first! The Double IPA should have a considerable hop presence, not a diminished one. Even the label states "Ass Kisser Double IPA is a rich malty ale that has warm caramel notes that open up as it warms up to your glass." Call it something else! Get a better score...

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2011 02:45:28 | More by MusicaleMike

Brent

Kentucky

2.48/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Double IPA? Doesn't that require hops? The best this beer could hope for is to be a sub-par ESB with a big ABV. Poured a caramel. Up front very malty, with caramel and toffee notes. Nondescript, vague hops bittering, followed by a rather raw bite of alcohol. Given the name and label, I can only assign this beer the the gimmick category.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 14:21:11 | More by Brent

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours an opaque Copper amber color with moderate carbonation, and a medium lacing ring around the top.

S - Faint pine and caramel, mostly malt... that's it. Needs more substance.

T - Faint pine and caramel, some floral nuance, very mild citrus bitterness in the background.

M - Thin and smooth on the tongue.

O - The best thing about this beer is the great name and label, other than that, glad I tried it but does absolutely nothing for me. Not a great review, I know. I'm going to revisit this beer in the future, it may be past its prime, who knows.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 23:28:12 | More by jzeilinger

seeswo

Ohio

2.58/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Pours a dark golden color with a small off-white head. Smell is big malt, caramel, grain. Not much if any hops. The taste has the faintest suggestion of slightly orange/pine hops, but mostly the hops come through as a reserved bitterness in the finish. The malt dominates. It is also a bit boozy. Totally unbalanced. Only half the bottle was consumed and then drain poured. Blue Dot was also open and was 100x the beer that this was. Mouthfeel was ok carbonation with some sticky sweetness. Overall, this was not a good representation of the style with the lacking hop profile and the malt out of balance. It also didn't taste good. Not a success.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 14:14:14 | More by seeswo

MrVonzipper

California

3.4/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a rich cloudy caramel color with practically no head

Very simple and different nose for a DIPA. Caramel, alcohol and malt

The flavor is pretty much overwhelmed my the maltiness. Not like a DIPA at all. The defining DIPA characteristic hop notes are faint. Sweet maltiness up front with a little bit of hops from middle to the end and then a caramel aftertaste

Full bodied and a little heavy due to the malt. A little tacky. Very little carbonation

Overall I gotta say this is not a great representation of the style. It's very heavy handed on the caramel malt and lacking in the hops department to balance it out and better represent the style. Not sure I'd get it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 05:25:15 | More by MrVonzipper

JamnesCameron

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter. Pours a deep honey gold, with a light tan head of two fingers. Head drops after a few minutes to nary a wisp. Some lacing evident.

Aromas of earthy, citrusy, piny hops. There is likely some malt in there, but you wouldn't know it from the smell.

Flavors of earthy, piny hops, hints of citrus. Good level of bitterness. Some sweet malt in the after flavor.

Mouthfeel is medium, some sticky sweetness, mouthcoating bitterness, a slight pull at the back of the teeth.

Overall a very nice DIPA. A little earthy. Bitterness is subdued for the style. Not a punch in the face, but a light kiss.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 00:53:15 | More by JamnesCameron

mdaschaf

Washington

2.85/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Review from notes.

A: Pours a hazy orange with a small fizzy white head. The head dissipated very quickly, but there was some rings of lacing left behind.

S: Very light hop aroma, really not much there. A little bit of orange and orange peel, but overly malty with some caramel and a bit grainy as well.

T: Quite boring and grainy. Not much hop presence on the flavor profile. Overly malty, full of caramel and a little doughy. Slightly bitter finish.

M: Medium bodied and a little grainy. No sign of 9%, wouldn't have guessed it that high.

O: Not even close to hoppy, and overall quite boring. No bottle dating, so could be old, but I have old DIPAs that are still good, this one, new or old, just didn't do anything for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 18:39:12 | More by mdaschaf