Bad Boy - Alpine Beer Company

homebrew311

Illinois

4/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Florida9 for sharing this growler!

Appearance is a brilliant clear gold with bright white head and decent lace. Nose is full of c-hops with heavy bright citrus notes along with some pine sap, lemon, syrup, and grass. The taste features quite the malt back bone with light molasses, rich caramel, and a moderate sweetness present before the hops overtake the flavor. Tropical fruits and grapefruit have an interplay between each other on the tail end. The body is medium with appropriate carbonation. Overall, this is a damn tasty IPA. Not sure I agree with the caliber of its average rating, but good nonetheless.

Serving type: growler

01-30-2013 07:00:07 | More by homebrew311

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served in a stemless snifter.

Thanks to Florida9 for sharing this growler!

Some reggae-backed white trash crimes spring to mind... Anyway, this stuff pours a lightly hazy gold topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises leek, Sorachi-style lemon zest, and light straw. The taste brings in more of the same, along with a melange of bitter grass and other greenery. Supposedly others got some pleasant citrus out of this, but I was apparently not so fortunate. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda dry finish. Overall, I just didn't get around to actually enjoying this beer. For me, the hops focused on onions and funky lemons with a biting bitterness behind them, and that combination is just not for me.

Serving type: growler

10-22-2012 01:41:06 | More by TMoney2591

Florida9

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Clear amber in color. Forms only a smallish white head, even on an aggressive pour that fades to a fairly stable, rocky surface coating before collapsing into absolutely nothing. Moderate lacing.

S: Nicely aromatic with a fair blend of hops and malt. Citrus, grapefruit, pine, caramel, and just a touch of tropical fruit.

T: The flavor is rather restrained. Very clean and well balanced, but restrained. There is a lightly sweet mild malty backbone and some light caramel notes. Hops lean toward the citrus with a good bit of grapefruit with pine to a lesser extent. Quick finish.

M: Medium bodied. Lower carbonation for the style. Mild to moderate bitterness.

O: This beer is far more restrained than I was expecting it to be. It's a good DIPA, but I was expecting something a bit more "in your face" from it. However, while there are a good dose of hops to it, this is a fairly balanced brew for Southern California. Good, but not overly exciting.

Serving type: growler

10-18-2012 01:38:48 | More by Florida9

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pour is clear golden orange with tons of creamy tan head that lingers forever. Nose is heavy pine with citrus and pineapple notes and a hint green. Well balanced caramel biscuit malt gentle cascades the side of the mouth. Taste follows suit, I was expecting big bitterness but it is surprisingly smooth and clean. Got balance of caramel and biscuit mid palate with sweet citrus up front and loads of piney resinous hop in back. The body is full and creamy with a gentle carbonation and light lingering bitterness.

Serving type: growler

10-09-2012 18:43:52 | More by cpetrone84

cavedave

New York

4.55/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to harrymel for this growler of exceptional goodness!

Pours a clear golden with a topper of thick foam that rises four fingers.

What a yummy smell. Neutral sweet, grapefruit, orange zest, lemon, mango, honeydew melon. Enticing beyond belief.

The taste doesn't diappoint. It is all the flavors of the nose, bright and clean and balanced. The sip ends with just a hint of herbal bitter drying out the citrus perfectly.

This is where the beer shines. Very light on the palate, yet chock full of hop resin, something that seemingly is impossible. Low/med. carb. and a killer clean finish provide just the mouth to showcase a stellar cavalcade of flavors.

Defintely an astoundingly delicious beer, and I give it my highest recommendation along with my deepest thanks to a wonderful trade partner.

Serving type: growler

10-04-2012 23:33:22 | More by cavedave

tarheels86

California

3.78/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler at Woodshop 7. Pours clear, vibrant golden with sticky white bubbles. Rich onion and garlic nose with mega earthy Simcoe. Taste follows suit with bitter root vegetables, parsnips, and shallot. Raw and bitter. Heavy orange pulp and peel. Bitter and earthy. Palate gains the lovely Alpine house butterscotch note famous in Duet. Nice, but the Hoppy Birthday was much better. Yum. 7/23/2012 8/4/7/4/15=3.8

Serving type: growler

10-02-2012 15:51:49 | More by tarheels86

dirtylou

Washington

4.43/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

"The Firkin is Workin" - Brouwers, Hopfest

appearance: 12oz pour, unbranded snifter, very murky, light apricot-orange body, thin layer of clear bubbles

smell: the zest of many fruits - tangerine, lemon, orange. tropical, pine

taste: This is the 4th Alpine IPA I have sampled (pure, exponential, duet, bad boy) and all have been exceptional - the firkin serving allowed for some loose hop leafs to find their way into the tulip providing a nice touch. Tangerine zest, pine resin, hop oil, honey, grapefruit. Very nice - I went for seconds.

mouthfeel: impacted by the firkin...pulpy, medium-light, oily

overall: really nice stuff

Serving type: cask

09-29-2012 02:20:01 | More by dirtylou

MrVonzipper

California

4.38/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Darthkostrizer
Pours a clear apricot color with a foamy white head with good retention and lace.

Big citrus and mild pine hopped nose. A touch boozy.

Flavor follows the nose with a hops explosion. Huge citrus hop character with nice sweet tropical fruit like pineapple and mango. A touch of cat pee funk and a little boozy heat.

Mouth is medium bodied with high carbonation.

Overall I really like it. Another phenomenal and different big ipa from the best ipa making brewery in the world.

Serving type: growler

09-17-2012 09:14:36 | More by MrVonzipper

scottfrie

California

4.05/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Growler poured by Abel the great. I want your babies.

A: Pours a light lemon-golden with a finger of short lived white head that slowly faded in a thin collar leaving sticky streaks of lacing down the glass.
S: Super hoppy notes of pine, mint, lemon peel and grass.
T: Semi-sweet, grassy, some citrus, lemon, with a very fresh pine profile. Solid bitterness but the finish is rather mellow. Some doughy malt pokes through along with a little bit of onion. Minty aftertaste.
M: Medium-full body, good even carbonation, smooth mouthfeel, slightly boozy.
O: Another super solid and fresh DIPA from Alpine. Hoppy and smooth. Thanks again abecall98.

Serving type: growler

09-14-2012 01:38:26 | More by scottfrie

wethorseblanket

California

4.48/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Drewone for the growler shared at Benny's tasting.

A: Pours a hazy orange with a good white head which leaves some faint rings and spots.

N: Lots of tangerine, orange, passionfruit, and pineapple just jump out of the glass.

T: Resiny and dank, almost weed-like. Big tropical and citrus fruits.

M: Full body and medium carbonation. Spicy hop finish.

O: So very good. A real blessing to try this. Just wish I could have this more often.

Serving type: cask

09-13-2012 03:46:35 | More by wethorseblanket

oline73

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a growler into a goblet.

Appearance: The beer pours a beautiful clear amber color with a half finger of off white head. The head fades to a ring around the pour and leaves some mild lacing on the glass.

Smell: The hops aren't overpowering, but they're very nice. I'm getting some citrus peel and pine notes along with a rather pronounced sweetness from the malt. I'm also getting some citrus fruit notes along with the hops.

Taste: The hops are the star, but it's not one of those DIPAs that completely crushes your taste buds. A good amount of malt sweetness backs up the hops rather nicely. The hop bitterness contains some grapefruit rind notes along with some pine needles. The finish is quite bitter, but the malt still shows up.

Mouthfeel: The body of this one is just on the syrupy side of medium with smooth, tingly carbonation and a slightly dry finish.

Overall: This is a very good DIPA, but I feel it's a step below some of the big boys. I would drink this all day if it were easily available to me, but I don't know that I'd trade for another growler given the risk involved.

Serving type: growler

09-06-2012 02:31:59 | More by oline73

Enish266

California

4.38/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From a day-old growler picked up from Alpine myself.

A - pours a very light copper/amber with a 1/4" milky-white head on an average pour

S - dank and piney in the very best way. A touch of grapefruit and pineapple sweet mixed in for good measure.

T - slippery on the tongue leading into a bitter bite. Grass and resin coat the tongue all the way down the throat. Dry, bitter finish that lingers on the palate for a few seconds after swallowing. Leaves just enough piney goodness to warrant more tastes.

M - very clean with medium-low carbonation (I think I prefer it with a touch more carb like the times I've had it on draft).

O - one of my favorite IPAs period. Hop profile is very distinctive to me and I always try to get a taste every time a new batch is available.

Serving type: growler

09-03-2012 08:10:00 | More by Enish266

rawfish

California

4.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hour old growler pours tangerine and gold into the glass. Neat one inch high head of white froth with good retention. Average lacing, spotty for an IPA.

Pungent and floral. Room filling aroma, rich with tropical fruit, deep citrus tones, and an oily and resinous undertone. Absolutely fabulous, ready to dive right in.

Honey and bready malt quickly give way to intense hop oils and a resinous hop flavor that is pure and flows over the palate with a sneaky and lasting bitterness. Quite a transition from the nose. Alcohol well hidden.

Smooth, but quite a thick and viscous body. Carbonation is adequate. Shot through almost the entire glass in no time.

It's like Alpine took Ballast Point Sculpin and Stone's Ruination, shotgun married 'em and then stole the couple's first born child, put him on steroids and raised a Bad Boy indeed. Perfect aroma, well hidden ABV, thick and resinous hop profile. Well crafted offering from Alpine, a must try for any hop head.

Serving type: growler

09-01-2012 00:23:26 | More by rawfish

OTB

California

4.7/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Fresh growler from Alpine. Poured a beautiful tangerine orange with a nice white dense cap that left thick curtains of lace on my glass as I drank down. Nose is dank, hoppy, sweet and floral, magnificent on all counts. The flavor profile is extracted orange peel oils, pine, bitter lemon pith and huge hop oils. The mouth is clean, crisp, refreshing and very balanced for the rather high abv. It finishes clean and refreshing, leaving bitter orange peel and pine sap that linger for a good half minute. Excellent DIPA from Alpine.

Serving type: growler

08-31-2012 21:25:26 | More by OTB

evilc

California

4.9/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is bar none the best IPA Alpine makes. It was a tossup for me between it and Exponential Hoppiness for awhile but the latest batch ( Week of August 27, 2012 ) turned the tide.

A: Beautiful golden appearance, copper in lower light. Crystal clear. Large 3 finger, fluffy head on a normal pour.

S: Pungeant hop aroma with a differing character from most WC IPAs - probably due to the British malts?

T: The ultimate IPA. Perfectly clean, malt/hop balance in perfection, dry finish. 9% that you can literally down a growler in an hour if you don't watch it. So damn good and smooth.

M: Resinous, syrupy, oily perfection.

I wish Alpine would switch Pure Hoppiness and this beer around. Bottle Bad Boy year round and make PH from time to time.

Serving type: growler

08-31-2012 17:36:06 | More by evilc

iadler

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to hamilton23 for this growler. Very much appreciated sir! From notes:

A- Pours a bright gold with a one finger head that leaves adequate lacing.

S- Pungent peach and mango with some pineapple, pine needles, floral hops and a touch of caramel malt. Reminds me of fresh Dreadnaught.

T- Again plenty of peach and mango with pine needles, floral notes, caramel, grapefruit and some fresh herbs including rosemary.

M- Medium carbonation and body that finishes pretty dry. ABV is hidden very well.

O- Once again, Alpine makes a kick ass DIPA. No sign of the abv, which makes it dangerously drinkable.

Serving type: growler

07-08-2012 20:55:43 | More by iadler

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the FW invitational. Came out a slightly darker, light brown dark orange pour compared to their many other excellent hoppy beers. Somehow the head and lacing were pretty damn impressive here. Aroma, usual mix of simcoe and amarillo I would suspect, but since its Alpine, it has that extra deliciousness going for it. Enjoyable musty light onion and sweetgrass almost makes me think about sauvin and summit hops.

Big hop flavor, pine resin, herb resin, light fruit, warming alcohol nowhere near as strong as 9% usually tastes. Good bitterness, not grating, but not nonexistant green lushness either. Best of both worlds. Super dry finish and mouthfeel like all of Alpine's hoppy beers.

There's nothing really to set this apart, for better or worse, from Alpine's big lineup of ipas. Which means its awesome just like the rest of them.

Serving type: on-tap

06-26-2012 16:37:32 | More by Beerandraiderfan

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Alpine pub. Poured into a pint glass.

A- Pours a bright golden color, topped with an inch of creamy off-white head, great retention, lots of spotty lacing.

S- Very complex hop aroma, lots of dank, earthy hops as well as juicy citrus and pine resin. Nice balance from a sweet malt aroma.

T- Follows the nose with loads of citrus and pine resin, powerfully bitter, also some dank flavors. Bready, chewy malt lends some balancing sweetness, finishes with a leafy bitterness.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth feel with a dry finish.

O- A pretty excellent DIPA, awesome hop flavor, very drinkable, I'd probably put this on par with Pure Hoppiness, this is some great stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

06-23-2012 06:28:00 | More by WillCarrera

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big Thanks to Patrick for sharing this growler.

Tons of sticky lace, dull finish and gold in color.

Aroma was fantastic. Juicy/resinous pine with some tropical fruit just below the surface. Thick and almost dank. (good dank) You can sense a higher ABV in the nose.

Dried Mango and a very interesting malt flavor. Big malt back bone here. Really juicy and just shy of sticky. It started off as interesting to me and it really grew on me as I worked through my glass. I swear I tasted almond for a moment. Just a really interesting and complex flavor. Again, the abv was present.

Fairly bold and big. Made you think sticky….

Alpine strikes again. Many thanks for the share. Excellent beer

Serving type: growler

06-17-2012 14:15:01 | More by Reagan1984

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from growler into a Half Acre tulip. Thanks evilc for the hook up!

A- pours a bright dark, golden color with a 2" off-white head. Strands and waves of lacing stick to the glass.

S- huge citrus aromas, grapefruit, oranges, and pineapple. Sweet caramel some spicy, pine.

T- Semi-sweet caramel with citrus. The citrus does not stand out as much as it does in the nose. Bitter grapefruit and orange with some citrus rind and pine bitterness.

M- medium body and carbonation. Has a slight dryness at the finish.

O- very good dipa. If this beer had more citrus flavor like the nose, and a little oily/syrupy mouthfeel it would be near perfect.

Serving type: growler

06-11-2012 01:10:19 | More by kawilliams81

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler shared by mdfb79. Thanks Dan. Review from notes.

The beer is golden and clear with nearly an inch of white head. The aroma consists of hops, citrus, pine. A tad sweet, with hops leading the way. Nice blend of citrus and pine flavors. Very little malt profile. I don't think this is nearly as good as Nelson or Hoppy Birthday, which are some of the best beers on the planet, in my opinion. That said, this is another delicious IPA from Alpine. I would love to try this on draft from the source.

Serving type: growler

06-07-2012 04:28:34 | More by Huhzubendah

Phelps

Arizona

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

Poured from a growler shared by ejyoung, into a tulip.

Deep gold, like bullion. A little caramel as well, but the drink exhibits perfect clarity. One inch of head is white and fluffy as a cloud. It descends slowly, leaving sticky trails of bubbles.

In the nose: orange peel, dankness, honey, caramel, a little basil. It’s actually so dank as to be almost funky.

The flavor gets much maltier, with a nice sweetness to boot. Lots of caramel and burnt sugar with dank, sticky hops. Grass, a little alcohol, and very lightly toasted biscuits swirl in the finish.

Soft, medium body. Moderate carbonation breaks the beer into a little fizz. Mild bitterness, balanced with aplomb by the malt.

Good boy, Bad Boy. It’s got incredible balance, with a big malt presence to balance them crazy dank hops, and is very drinkable for its strength. A fabulous IPA.

Serving type: growler

04-06-2012 22:59:06 | More by Phelps

Rhettroactive

Virginia

4.4/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From 64oz Alpine growler to Portsmouth glass on 3/10/12
*From notes

-- Many thanks, Bill --

A: Clean and clear 24k gold. A carefule pour yields a .75 finger head. As it fades, a healthy white collar rims the glass.

S: Phenomenal. Juicy to the max, the fruit here is out of bounds.

T: Bitter melon, pink grapefruit and juicy hops dominate from the get-go. It's not overly bitter mind you, merely a perfect balance of hop oil and on the finish, a touch of golden malt. God damn this is good.

M: From a growler shipped from the opposite end of the country, this has held up incredibly well. The density keeps the massive flavors in check, and carries the beer to greater heights then you'd expect for a Double IPA.

O: Reach high and grab that bottle of Bad Boy off the top shelf. Seriously - this is pretty incredible and maddeningly drinkable. My hats off to another Alpine winner, a brewery I hold close to my heart.

Epically recommended.

Serving type: growler

03-19-2012 21:23:31 | More by Rhettroactive

billab914

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a growler into my Devil's Backbone glass. It poured crystal clear and bright orange amber in color. A thin, sticky white head barely covered the top.

The aroma is bright and juicy with some really great tropical fruit notes to it. I get lots of pineapple and peach to it with a little bitter citrus rind and grapefruit. Some sweeter candied fruits come through as well and really compliment it well.

The taste shows a little more citrus rind and grapefruit bitterness mixing with a sweeter, candied orange and pineapple flavor. Some juicy, peach notes come out in it as well with some of the grapefruit bitterness lingering into the finish. I love the candied fruits that come out in it. It was very juicy and fruity but also felt relatively balanced and drinkable as well.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being moderate. It feels light and easy drinking for the style. Great beer overall, it was so juicy, fresh and easy drinking as well. I loved the sweeter, candied like fruits to it .

Serving type: growler

03-13-2012 17:08:52 | More by billab914

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

As with other Alpine beers, this one looks great. I tad murky, but the burnt orange/rusty body is topped with a fluffy, sticky white head.

Strong aroma, mostly grass, pine and resinous. A hint of citrus zest.

yeah, more pine, grass and resin with the flavors. I like it as a contrast with ExpHop, which I thought was more citrus forward. This beer has hops, for sure. Malt? Not for sure. Joking...but the malt gives a very subtle hint of a backbone with some caramel. That's about all for the malt.

Nice bite to it. It digs in. The resinous side leaves a bit of a filmy feel. This kills the snap or zip on the end. Oh well.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2012 21:59:04 | More by Mebuzzard