Professor IPA - Cranker's Brewery

KC9LDB

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +33.1%

01-06-2013 20:56:58 | More by KC9LDB

TypsiYpsi

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%

04-16-2013 00:49:38 | More by TypsiYpsi

jbierling

Michigan

3/5  rDev -11.2%

04-14-2013 18:26:57 | More by jbierling

Brewtardius

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%

04-07-2013 00:18:00 | More by Brewtardius

Kerrie

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +10.9%

03-31-2013 01:09:23 | More by Kerrie

mgroothuis

Michigan

4/5  rDev +18.3%

03-24-2013 01:14:45 | More by mgroothuis

akttr

Michigan

3/5  rDev -11.2%

03-22-2013 03:09:09 | More by akttr

DrIPA

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +10.9%

03-07-2013 00:45:13 | More by DrIPA

TastingRoomCharNtony

4/5  rDev +18.3%

02-24-2013 01:55:39 | More by TastingRoomCharNtony

keerr

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%

02-18-2013 17:36:54 | More by keerr

beer4brian331

Michigan

2.75/5  rDev -18.6%

02-03-2013 18:13:39 | More by beer4brian331

mrebeka

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%

01-27-2013 18:56:11 | More by mrebeka

FEUO

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%

01-19-2013 21:32:06 | More by FEUO

GRPunk

Michigan

3.1/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Oohhh, I can give .25's now. Sweet!

Bottle says "always decant Cranker's beer into a pint glass." Alright, it's going into my new Samuel Smith's imperial pint, a nice vessel.

A- 1-finger off-white head develops with a normal pour. VERY clean, golden body with really light carbonation. Head becomes a thin foam that leaves pretty good stick on the glass.

S- Hmmmm. Initially, there's a hoppy punch followed by a malty sweetness. Hops are citrus, grapefruit maybe. Malt/yeast is hard to place. Fruity? Tropical? After sipping, it might even be the aspirin-like component. Warmth brings more of the citrus and tropical fruits, getting quite pleasant actually.

T- Grainy, cereal malts. Aspirin, herbal, medicinal hops. Hops get a little biting.

M- Moderate body. Quite the hop bite.

O- It's my first experience with what I believe to be a pretty new brewery. Like some other startups, it's a little rough around the edges. Serviceable enough (Read: not a drain pour). Not something I'm going to rush out and buy either. I'd like to revisit their offerings in a few months and see where it's going. It seems to have potential.

I've long felt a college town in MI needs brewery. I'm glad Cranker's stepped up for Big Rapids.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 20:16:39 | More by GRPunk

Paul3371

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%

01-03-2013 02:09:21 | More by Paul3371

foamfinger

Michigan

1.9/5  rDev -43.8%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I was hoping for more here. This beer very much reminds me of a light lager in its appearance and mouthfeel. I don't get much of an aroma here at all. The hops are there but are almost an afterthought; its far too bland for the style. Overall, a very disappointing effort. I will agree with the previous reviewer that this is a very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 23:49:43 | More by foamfinger

Gtg642

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%

12-12-2012 23:07:31 | More by Gtg642

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a bottle of Cranker's Professor IPA a couple days ago for $1.79 at The Lager Mill. Cranker's just started bottling, I have been to the restaurant, but I've never had any of their beer, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date, but I know it's pretty fresh. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A- The label is ok, but it's not eye catching. It poured a fairly clear golden color that took on some amber hues when held to the light with a fingers worth of white head that quickly faded to a thin ring that left hardly any lacing. This is an average looking beer, the head and lacing were disappointing.

S- The aroma starts hoppy with some floral and citrus hops, the citrus sticks out the most imparting a nice mango, nectarine, and a slight grapefruit aroma. After that comes the malts which show up nicely and provide nice balance while imparting some grainy and sweet caramel aromas. This beer had a good aroma, I have no complaints.

T- The taste is pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with the hops which are a 50/50 mixture of floral and citrus hops, they stick out evenly but are slightly light for the style. Next comes the malts which have a lower amount of sweetness and impart some grainy and slightly caramel flavors. On the finish there's a medium amount of bitterness and a grainy and slightly floral hops aftertaste. This beer tasted OK, but it was a little too balanced for the style, I could go for more hop flavors.

M- Pretty smooth, very crisp, on the lighter side of being medium bodied, with a higher amount of medium carbonation that was pretty damn prickly. The mouthfeel was pretty average, it was just too damn prickly.

Overall I thought this was an ok beer and a slightly above average example of the style, it was going in the right direction but it didn't have that extra hoppy flavor that It needed. This beer had ok drinkability, it was fairly smooth and the flavors kind of held my attention but the prickly mouthfeel would prevent me from drinking a few of these in a row. What I liked the most about this beer was the aroma, it was good and true to style. What I liked the least about the beer was the mouthfeel, it was just too prickly. I might buy this beer again, but I would much rather have a Two Hearted, it's worth a try if you really like the style. All in all this was a decent American IPA, but it lacked refinement, it's ok. I'll be interested in seeing what other brews Cranker's have to offer.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 04:51:30 | More by StoutHunter