The Pupil - Societe Brewing Co.

EliotRosewater

California

4.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

A - Pours a hazy, golden hue. Minimal lacing with about a finger of head.

S - citrus, pine, resin, juicy. Just a ton going on here. Salivary glands going crazy with just a whiff.

T - One of a few IPA's where the taste actually exceeds the smell. Tons of citrus and tropical fruit along with some pine and bitter herb flavor. The bitterness is so well integrated. Probably the most balanced IPA I've had.

M - Bitterness is present but not overpowering. Smooth mouthfeel and nice, lingering finish.

O - This is the most enjoyable IPA I've had the pleasure of drinking. You can only get it on tap or to go in a growler so I've only had it super fresh. Simply the cleanest, purest flavors. I could easily knock back an entire growler just because it is so enjoyable to drink. World class.

Serving type: growler

06-15-2013 21:07:00 | More by EliotRosewater

SavvyStudent

Texas

4.95/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

A: Low transparency, good legs and a pale yellow color
S: Awesome freshness that you look for in a good IPA. I cannot pick up the different hop types but there is a nice balance of freshness and depth.
T: Surprisingly one of my favorite IPA based solely on the taste. I get a hit of pine, slight Belgium mustiness, and citrus. It was difficult for me to slow down to sip this one
M:It is a full mouthfeel with medium carbonation. It sits a little heavier than some IPAs but still stellar.
O: While on a Stone tour and talking about different Hops a few of the induction specialist said this brewery was a must go while in San Diego; It did not disappoint. This was my favorite of the 8 IPAs they had on the menu. Overall the IPA here were AMAZING and worth a visit if in the area since they currently are not outside of San Diego.

7.8% abv

Serving type: growler

05-31-2013 03:42:02 | More by SavvyStudent

KevT

California

4.1/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I had this beer at Societe during a recent trip to San Diego. Beer came out with a pale yellow color and a nice head. Compared to some of the other Societe beers, this hop aroma on this one is more subdued. It still has a nice hop flavor and nice bitter finish though.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2013 17:59:48 | More by KevT

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured out as a clear golden color with a foamy white head on top. The retention and lacing is really good. The smell is sweet and hoppy, nice malty caramel nose with a lemony citrus. The taste is nice, nice malt/hop balance, sweet and bitter. The mouthfeel is light bodied, with a good carbonation. Overall it's a pretty solid brew.

Serving type: growler

04-26-2013 22:37:52 | More by Knapp85

RaulMondesi

California

3.56/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Cruising SoCal like I know how - down to Societe it is.

The pupil is everything that it wants to be, but unfortunately, isn't. On Raul's "aite scale," it's just straight up, aite. A lil hoppy, a lil fruity, a lil just aite. Hell, like Jennifer Anistan in a thong, yeah, I'll peep it, but in the end, meh.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2013 08:27:44 | More by RaulMondesi

Hamburgers

California

4.35/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

On tap at Stone. Pours pale, hazy orange with thin white head. Aroma of citrus, pine, yeast and slight funk. Flavor is piney and citrusy. On the lighter side of and IPA with medium carbonation. Slight bitter finish. Super solid, nice balance. As good as any IPA on the market.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2013 22:20:06 | More by Hamburgers

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.08/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

64 oz. growler poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Pours without much of a head. Wispy on the surface and a few bubbles at the edge.

Smell - Piney, resiny hops. Very nice. Some grapefruit too. Not my favorite hop profile, but it smells great.

Taste - Bright resiny hop, a bit more citrus here. Some slightly grainy malts back there, almost no sweetness. Dry bitter finish.

Mouthfeel - Dry, medium bodied, low carbonation. That's probably the growler. I could drink a few glasses of this.

Overall - I don't love the hop profile, but I can't deny that it's a very well made IPA.

Serving type: growler

04-03-2013 00:48:42 | More by Alieniloquium

LittleDon

Texas

4.38/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. pour at the Societe taproom on 3/12/13

Golden with a slight haze, dense white head and sufficient lace. Aroma is a bit muted, tropical fruit with floral notes. Very non-West Coast flavor, guava, pomelo, citrus rind to start and an earth bitterness to finish. Lively mouthfeel with a medium body. Leans toward the dry side with a touch of alcohol present.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2013 12:50:13 | More by LittleDon

hopjake

Alabama

4.68/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

On tap at the Societe taproom. My only Citra-heavy beer before this was ZD, so I was looking forward to this one.

Half-inch of fluffy white head, yellow - orange hazy appearance. Very appealing.

Lots of citrus fruit and of course, hops jumping out at you. Honestly I was too eager to taste it than spend a lot of time smelling it - it just smelled good...

Still learning the different hop flavors, but the Citra is now recognizable to me, and stood out immediately. Very tropical, a light malt backbone, just enough bitterness to remind you its an IPA, no booze. Fairly clean finish. Very smooth - could drink a few of these.

Medium carbonation, pretty light body - nothing unexpected after the aroma and taste.

Wish I had more than one, but I was visiting from out of town and wanted to try their other offerings. Visited a few other places in SD, and this was definitely the best beer I had during a short 3-day stay.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2013 18:36:52 | More by hopjake

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.81/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Drank this on tap at Churchill's in November 2012, then at the Societe taproom in February 2013.

Big time yellow pour, tons of haze, small 1/3" head on the top. Some of these mega hopped SD west coast ipa's now look eerily similar to a hefeweizen (albeit without the same head, lacing or retention).

Aroma, huge, the best of both worlds, you get the citra and the nelson hops in all their glory. Name the fruit, you can probably close your eyes and envision it in this beer. Mango, guava, pine, pineapple. Pretty much every tropical type of fruit out there, comes out in the nose (and taste, but more about that in a sec). I smelled the shit out of this beer, ramping up expectations until I could actually taste it.

The taste is very smooth, for all the hop glory in this, it has zero abrasive bitterness to it. Extremely light and dry cracker like malt addition to just stay the hell out of the way of the hops. Juicy. Alcohol is nowhere to be found. Very light bodied, high hopped, low bitterness libation. Tangerine and mango just rolls off the tongue. Very reminiscient of Pliny and Alpine.

This is the #1 beer you haven't drank. This is now a must stop spot when in San Diego. If it was anywhere else in the world, it would be the talk of the town, homerism effects etc. . . but since its SD, there's plenty of stuff to divide loyalties and keep these guys under the radar on the national scene.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2013 17:57:08 | More by Beerandraiderfan

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

4.51/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Average fluffy white head with a light orange body. Great looking beer, I bet it looks better fresh from the source.

Smell had an overall tropical aroma mixing mango and tangerine. Underneath were some wild berry and grassy scents.

Taste was smooth for an IPA. A punch of Kiwi hop flavor was there but the bite was quick and clean on the finish. Props to them for packing that much taste with little bitterness. Although Im not totally sure if thats a good or a bad thing. It definitely makes it go down like water.

Malt body was minimally sweet. Decent carbonation for the growler. This beer was awesome and I would definitely like to try more from this brewery.

Serving type: growler

02-21-2013 14:37:24 | More by BearsOnAcid

MasterSki

Illinois

4.39/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Growler shared by Chris (spycow). Served in a tulip of some sort at Tom's place.

A - Generous white foam settles to a thin cap, thick collar, and specks of lacing. Transparent golden body.

S - Citrus, lefty with dank herbs, touch of onion, tangerine, some sweet malts and tropical fruits, with a touch of buttered biscuit as well. Light alcohol note that's a surprise but I could be confusing a really sharp pine note for booze.

T - Taste is smoother, with a nice mix of citrus, sweet malts, tropical fruits, leafy herbs, grapefruit zest, and thankfully no booze or onion. There's an almost seltzer-y citrus juice quality to this one.

M - Smooth, dry, medium-full bodied, crisp and clean finish, pleasant carbonation, and minimal alcohol presence. Bitterness is surprisingly low as well.

D - A very nice beer that straddles the line between IPA and IIPA. Eminently drinkable, but didn't wow me quite as much as I expected. A few years ago this would have been a slam-dunk for Top 10 but these days it's merely a very good IPA from an area of the country that has a lot of killer options.

Serving type: growler

02-18-2013 18:48:56 | More by MasterSki

Florida9

Illinois

4.19/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Clear light amber. Forms a moderate sized fluffy white head. Good retention. Head leaves some minimal lacing on the way down.

S: Very aromatic. Aroma is full of fruit, but not necessarily the types of fruit you'd expect from an IPA. Mostly grape, but some tropical fruit as well. Maybe a little orange citrus, but its faint.

T: Very light malt base. Then the flavors I typically associate with Nelson Sauvigon hops. Green grapes and gooseberry. Again, just a hint of tropical fruits and just a very faint hint of lemon along with a little grapefruit pith. A bit sweeter than I was expecting it to be.

M: On the lighter side of medium. Appropriate carbonation. Mild bitterness.

O: A nice beer, though a bit sweeter than I was expecting for a San Diego brewed IPA. Otherwise, it brings the otherwise typical light malt body and heavy hops, though the hops used in this brew offer up a lot more than the typical citrus and pine notes.

Serving type: growler

01-28-2013 00:12:31 | More by Florida9

mhksuccess

California

4.71/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Had this on tap at the brewery and then found the next day and had a pint on tap at pizza port
this beer is a golden color with slight head on top
the smell is overpowering awesome hint of piney and hoppy
the taste burst into your mouth overwhelming hops from piney to fruity
i would put this down as a top ipa it is what you are wanting from
hoppy to slightly fruity to piney and a great finish
this is a beer that can be drank on a regular basis

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2013 16:55:59 | More by mhksuccess

mbixler

California

5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Just a great single IPA, right up there with Sculpin. Had it at the brewery. Pours a little cloudy, maybe its unfiltered. The smell is outstanding! You can smell the nelson hops, and a liitle graperfruit. The taste is crisp and super balanced. I have had Pliny, Topper and Younger & this beer is right up there with the best.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2012 16:40:28 | More by mbixler

Nugganooch

California

4.43/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On Tap @ Societe

12/08/12
10oz pour

A: Pours a light hazy straw gold body. Call it blonde. Bubbly with a nice half finger of near white suds and some wisps of cling down the drink.

S: Smells of white wine grape, gooseberry, pink grapefruit, mango, melons and pine. Light tropical flower with a nice lemony twist. A sugary sweetness to it but no real traceable malt or alcohol in the nose. Fine aroma with a nice influx of Nelson hops.

T: Tastes leads with white grape and unripe berry. Supporting notes of grapefruit, melon, pine, and a prickly pear like punch. There is an upper moderate amount of perceived bitterness and an awesome charge of herb stems in the finish. Dry malt cracker provides just enough residual sweetness with no real alcohol evident. Super light and refreshingly hoppy. A really great IPA with Nelson’s playing a major part. So juicy!

M: Very light in body with an even upper moderate of carbonation. Lush and prickly. Big drying crisp finish. Oily bitters saturate the palate with some constricting action.

D: Very crushable. Malt is rather tame here with a slightly more assertive hop schedule compared to The Apprentice. Nice use of the Nelson’s without it becoming an Alpine clone.

My favorite Societe offering thus far. These guys have impressed the most with the fine tuning of their recipes more than anything. A must try.

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2012 00:31:57 | More by Nugganooch

Gobzilla

California

4.43/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: poured a golden orange in color with yellow highlights and A nice finger of head that left some good bubbly lacing sticking to the glass.

S: nice piney floral hoppy profile with citrus grapefruit present, faint bready malts sweetness, pineapple fruit, hints of mango and slight grass aroma.

T: the hop profile was just as prominent on the palate consisting of earhty, grassy, piney, and floral traits, plenty of tropical fruit flavor, a good bready malty sweetness that balanced out this hoppy bomb, nice citrusy grapefruit that helped on the bitterness and pineapple accents.

M: the brew was medium in body with good amount of carbonation which had a fruity, hoppy, piney, citrusy, bready malty, bitter and oily finish.

O: very good IPA I must say. I didn't think it was going to be that good but was proved wrong.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 17:26:15 | More by Gobzilla

Sean9689

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

64oz growler from the best beer mule in SoCal, my sister!

Pours a golden/orange color, thin collar, white head, spotty lacing. Aroma is tons of tropical fruit sweetness which includes mango, pineapple, oranges along with some bitter citrus peel notes as well. Flavor is a nice mix of sweetness and hoppy bitterness with mango, pineapple, light pine. Light body, good carbonation, oily sweet finish.

This is a really nice American IPA. I had a pour from the growler immediately after a pour of Hill Farmstead Edward from the kegerator, and while they were both very different, it was hard to pick a favorite from the two. Looking forward to visiting the brewery when I'm out visiting family!

Serving type: growler

10-01-2012 22:56:31 | More by Sean9689

UCLABrewN84

California

3.98/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap for the 2012 Peter Reeves Memorial Sourfest at Churchill’s Pub & Grille in San Marcos, CA.

Pours a hazy yellow with a foamy off-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of citrus fruit, citrus zest, and some tropical fruit aromas. Taste is much the same with a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and pretty refreshing after drinking a bunch of sours.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2012 01:32:47 | More by UCLABrewN84

ArrogantB

Colorado

4/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at O'Brien's. Seemed like a good opportunity to tick so I ordered it. Looks sort of yellow but then it was nighttime at O'Brien's so I can't be 100% sure. Smelled quite interesting, a real melange of hoppiness, dank, west coast. Flavor sort of diverged from the aroma, very bitter though and as it warmed a bit of lemon goodness. Overall this was a good IPA, hopefully they bottle this in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 20:50:09 | More by ArrogantB

womencantsail

California

4.33/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy golden color with a finger of white head. Awesome nose of grapefruit, pineapple, pine, and floral hops. A light tropical fruit note in there as well. Very little malt aroma. The flavor has a great fruitiness to it with all of the grapefruit/citrus and tropical flavors. A nice bite of bitterness to it from the pine. Just a touch of bready malt flavor, but still nice and dry. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: growler

08-04-2012 21:01:20 | More by womencantsail

SDHoffers

California

4.78/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've had this on tap twice now I'm sad to say that it's almost gone after only a few precious days. I can't believe that we aren't gonna see this one again til September. Damn those unattainable Nelson Hops! Oh well, I will still enjoy this while I can. Although The Dandy and The Apprentice are wonderful IPA's, The Pupil has that little extra whack in the face that all of us in SD have grown to love. Thanks guys for making great beer and thanks Mark S. for keeping us in supply.
Cheers, Michael (Hoffer's)

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2012 23:29:57 | More by SDHoffers

Schmaltzy

California

4.83/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Honestly all that I can say is that if Alpine Nelson and FFF Zombie Dust had a baby, this is it. Of course without the Rye from Nelson. I just found my new favorite IPA and it is a short drive away.
Out the tap you pour with a golden color of lore,
You smell of great citrus and hops galore,
Your taste is one of which I must have more,
To drain my glass quickly of this I am sure.
If you can find this beer on tap, you must try it or make a trip to Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2012 23:34:08 | More by Schmaltzy

rand

California

4.83/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap and El Take it Easy in San Diego, poured into pint

A: Hazy orange in appearance, slightly opaque, forms a fluffy head that's wispy yet sudsy.

S: The nose is tropical at the front. Really tropical, like there's a large amount of Nelson hops added (I'll have to look it up, this smells really Nelson-y). Plenty of honey-sweet malts propelled by ample alcohol volatiles round the bouquet.

T: Tropical-citrus up front, as expected, mango and guava and lemon. A touch of piny astringency meets a robust malt-backbone, chewy and honey-sweet. The alcohol isn't masked but doesn't overtake, as all of the flavors play supporting roles, leading to a somewhat singular
flavor profile. The finish is refreshing, almost no aftertaste.

M: Viscous and oily but light and effervescent on the palate

Living in San Diego, you can become a little jaded and skeptical of craft upstarts. Well, color me convinced - this is one of the best IPA's I've had. I cant stop thinking how much this tastes like Kern's amazing Citra. I'm gonna stop typing now so I can have another.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2012 00:07:53 | More by rand

jamex

California

4.73/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the brewery.

I've had this about 5-8 times now and it never fails to impress. It looks and smells amazing. The beer is brewed with Citra and Nelson hops and tastes like a Rye-less Nelson (from Alpine Beer Co.) A real stand-out beer. Good job Societe.

Beer grade: A
Their growler prices and/or CA stupid growler law: F.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2012 21:29:53 | More by jamex