El Torero Organic IPA - Alameda Brewhouse

smakawhat

Maryland

3.81/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a Dogfish Head Ale glass. Yikes this is old..

A real nice creamy light tan head is made three fingers, which settles with a big whipped up top, hanging on like sheets of cream. Body is an opaque somewhat brown amber with hints of orange. Quite a nice looking beer.

Lots of biscuity malts on this, and faint tea like hops. I get the impression this has totally faded. Other that that some milky like sweetness but not much else to say.

Luckily the palate still delivers nicely but without a big blast. Controlling good mix of sweetness and toasty malts. Doughy biscuity sweetness, and a nice small mix of earthy pine on the finish, and light herbal tea. Good doughy mix with a hint of oily finish. Bit of honey sweetness on the lips too.

Surprisingly good mix to drink, but with a fairly closed nose. Would like to try one that is fresher though.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 23:15:25 | More by smakawhat

SMITHAND

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev 0%

05-18-2013 03:23:48 | More by SMITHAND

jschwanke84

Oregon

3.29/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Poured from bomber into pint glass. Live review.

A: pours a somewhat hazy orange and copper color with almost no head - half a finger white that dissipates in under 30 seconds. Nice lace and nice color but the lack of head is disappointing.

S: Earthy, biscuity malts with minimal hops. A bit of citrus but not much. Slightly toasty. Very malt forward. Pretty mild overall. Not impressive.

T: Very toasty and bitter. Surprisingly hop forward which I did not expect based on the smell. Malts help to calm some of the aggressive bitterness. You get hit with alcohol and a bit of exotic fruit at the end. Very nicely done strong IPA flavor.

M: Creamy medium body that sits well on the palate. Alcohol kick is calmed by the toasty malts. Smooth finish that goes down nicely.

O: Overall this is a good but not great IPA. I would order it on tap but likely will not purchase again in the $7 bomber. Lacks the citrus sweetness that I love in an IPA, both in scent and flavor. Toasty malts balance well with very bitter hops. This would be a great brew to have with dinner, but not recommended alone except to diehard IPA fans.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 01:45:33 | More by jschwanke84

YieldToNothing

New York

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

04-15-2013 02:05:50 | More by YieldToNothing

brentk56

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a cloudy amber color with a most impressive head that clings to the side of the pint glass, leaving a ring of lace

Smell: The biscuity malt elements dominate the aroma, overwhelming the herbal/pithy hops

Taste: Biscuity malt,. up front, and a building sweetness are joined, in the middle, by the herbal/pithy hops, producing a candy-like character that lingers into the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: A little on the sweet side overall, for my palate, but a very nice IPA

Thanks, mdaschaf, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 21:24:52 | More by brentk56

RBorsato

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +20%

11-19-2012 00:21:23 | More by RBorsato

fishguyac

Washington

2/5  rDev -46.7%

11-08-2012 20:55:27 | More by fishguyac

rodrigueZflyingf0x

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev 0%

11-04-2012 22:19:34 | More by rodrigueZflyingf0x

Imrite

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

10-27-2012 02:53:03 | More by Imrite

robuncorked

3.75/5  rDev 0%

10-18-2012 21:28:06 | More by robuncorked

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a lightly hazed, deep orange color with good carbonation leaving a small wite cap, bubbles and nice lacing

S: Wheat, Earthiness and some pine plus citrus to boot

T: Immediate Crystal malt-which I hate followed by light citrus, pine and Earthiness coupled with a nice bitterness. The finish is rather dry, bitter and lingering with a light booze and pine punch.

M: Medium body, more bittering, Earthiness and pine, citrus reside on the palate and hang out, especially the bitterness

O: I hate Crystal malt in a IPA. Deschutes commonly uses Crystal and Pale and I cant stand it. However, I wont hold that against Alameda. My taste aside, this beer is pretty balanced, pretty good overall.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 01:53:56 | More by barleywinefiend

IllNate

British Columbia (Canada)

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

Really hazy light copper with ample white head and good retention. Aroma is hoppy with mostly citrus (orange) and a bit of pine. Picks things up in the taste. Hoppy in nature with orange and more pine with some grassyness as well. Bit of caramel maltiness, but not too sweet. Mouthfeel is bitter and relatively smooth. Overall it edges out a 4, a good IPA but nothing spectacular. I'm not sure if I have my hands on a mistreated beer or a bad bad, but the clarity was awful, others say clear...

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 03:44:17 | More by IllNate

yossarian14

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -20%

09-12-2012 10:32:18 | More by yossarian14

Stizz19

4/5  rDev +6.7%

08-22-2012 03:04:53 | More by Stizz19

Shawkabukoo

4/5  rDev +6.7%

08-14-2012 05:32:55 | More by Shawkabukoo

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Hazy copper-bronze with an off-white head, not much retention but it leaves a hint of lace.

S: Apricot, nectarine, tangerine & a bit of weed with some sweet toffee.

T: Tangerine, grapefruit rind, mango, good bitterness, but a little too much crystal malt. Showing some signs of oxidation.

M: Moderate body has a modest carbonation with some hop acidity.

O: It's just not bursting with fresh hop flavour and I find the combination with the malts a bit odd.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 23:32:54 | More by Derek

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from a bottle, this pours an amazing creamy golden copper colour. On the nose there are big fruit aromas of pineapple and apricot with a hint of pine. The mouthfeel is very creamy and rich in texture but there is a bold hop finish that balances
the beer beautifully. A favourite Portland India Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 16:19:41 | More by CookstLiquor

bumchilly25

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

06-16-2012 01:29:22 | More by bumchilly25

morimech

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Light copper color with the ever so slight haze. Just over one finger of head forms and slowly settles to a thick cap. Copious amounts of sticky lacing is left down the glass during consumption.

Quite a bit of malt influence in this IPA. Biscuit like malt dominates with grassy, earthy hops lingering in the background.

A lot of malt flavor as well. Biscuits or toasted bread lays the foundation earthy and grassy hops. A lot of bitterness compared to the amount of hop flavor.

Carbonation is low but it fits nicely with the flavor profile. Nice soft, smooth texture.

An enjoyable IPA with a different hop profile from most IPAs that come from the PNW.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 18:53:13 | More by morimech

flagmantho

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass. Alameda appears to no longer market El Torero as an organic IPA. Bottle reads 7.2% ABV rather than the above-noted 7.1%.

Appearance: light holden hue with a heavy haze and an active effervescence. Head is a good finger of pillowy ivory foam.

Smell: biscuity malt with some grain aroma paired with grassy, earthy hops. A bit dry, but not too bad.

Taste: flavor matches the aroma almost identically. Biscuity, dry malt aroma with earthy hops, perhaps with a touch of citrus. Not bad, but not my preferred flavor profile.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good, well-integrated carbonation and concomitant creaminess. I quite like it.

Overall: this IPA employs some flavor choices which aren't my favorite, but I feel that it is well-crafted and eminently drinkable. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 22:23:14 | More by flagmantho

twelveinches

Washington

3.75/5  rDev 0%

03-11-2012 03:38:20 | More by twelveinches

johnnyboy76

Oregon

4/5  rDev +6.7%

02-16-2012 03:03:40 | More by johnnyboy76

shelby415

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

02-11-2012 07:27:29 | More by shelby415

sharpski

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

02-09-2012 21:52:14 | More by sharpski

Ratman197

Colorado

3.65/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bomber from Malt and Vine poured a clear tarnished gold with a lasting white head. Aromas of biscuit, floral notes, light citrus and a hint of earthiness. Mouthfeel was light to medium bodied and crisp with a dry finish. Flavors of biscuit, earthiness and light grapefruit with a crisp dry bitter lingering earthy finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 23:56:06 | More by Ratman197