Bad Boy - Alpine Beer Company

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

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Alpine, I was excited to get a good sample of this beer. It was yellow in color, little head. The smell was kind of brutal hops. The flavor made me open my eyes a little wider between the extreme hoppiness, pungent aroma, and obviously high alcohol content of the beer. This was good and I wish I'd been able to drink a growler of this but you can't do everything especially when there is Duet waiting to be drank.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2009 00:35:05 | More by ArrogantB

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Growler shared by starrdogg.

Very hazy/cloudy golden orange and a small white head. Minimal lacing. Looks unremarkable. Aroma was the highlight, very dank and green, spicy and light vegetable with a strong citrus finish. Sweet body, doughy and bubblegum base with intense and unbalanced herbal hops and grass. Some peach and grapefruit, but not much resin or pine. Hoppy Birthday and Nelson are among my favorites, but Alpine's bigger IIPAs continue to disappoint me.

Serving type: growler

10-08-2011 15:46:01 | More by yourefragile

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

LittleDon

Texas

3.83/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A pint at O'Brien's in SD.

Amber with a slight haze and low head retention. Minimal lace. Understated citrus aroma with a touch of malt. Soft citrusy front and perfect level of carbonation. Noticeable acetone characteristics in the middle. Soft finish. Medium-heavy mouthfeel. Very full bodied.

Serving type: cask

08-27-2010 18:28:07 | More by LittleDon

grumpy

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bartzilla - ditto on trying it for the first time at Liar’s on Thursday. Were you that guy down the bar from me?

A nice straw/amber colored American DIPA with lots of hop aroma and flavor coming through as citrus and pine. A bit of malt balance is detectable, but this one remains crisp and refreshing with a medium body and a good carbonation level. I’ll probably be the only one to say this, but I liked it better than Pure Hoppiness.

You San Diegans are pretty lucky…..

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2006 18:35:54 | More by grumpy

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap at Toronado in August. Pours a dark golden with little head and some lacing. Smell is mostly piney hops with some faint malt in the background. Taste is very dry and a little slick with some fruitiness up front and a long earthy hop bitterness. Very dry and attenuated. This one was good, but a little dryer and one dimensional than I expected. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I thought I would.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2007 16:08:09 | More by Georgiabeer

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

SacoDeToro

California

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

On tap at the 10th Annual San Diego Strong Ale Festival.

The aroma was wonderfully pungent. The nose was dominated by an explosive burst of resiny and citrusy hops. A light and sweet maltiness poked through at the end.

The flavor of the beer was primarily that of citrusy hops of a light caramel maltiness to help round things out. The hops were powerful, but the beer was very smooth. It was well attenuated and wasn't too sweet, which is were many double IPAs can loose points. The beer had a nice spiciness that I prefer in DIPAs.

The mouthfeel was crisp and the carbonation seemed dialed in just right.

A good "San Diego" Pale Ale.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2006 05:27:05 | More by SacoDeToro

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

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.03/5  rDev -11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Recently got in a trade. Thanks Jimmy!

Pours a very clear gold with a two finger foamy head.

Heavy tropical fruit, grapefruit and some pine in the nose. Your standard west coast IPA.

Light citrus flavor hits the tongue first then rolls straight into a piney bitterness that lingers on the tongue finishing crisp and dry. Hop forward beer.

Mouthfeel is light with good carbonation levels even from a growler.

Another very good beer from Alpine, but I prefer Hoppy Birthday and maybe Duet to this.

Serving type: growler

10-15-2011 16:52:23 | More by jmarsh123

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

Spider889

Ohio

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

Shared at Jackie O's by some fellow BA's. Thanks to brew3crew for bringing this growler to spread around.

Nice clarity, bright yellow with a white head.

Smelled wonderful. Very light, fresh, and inviting. Lots of crisp wet pine, with some grapefuit adding a fruity sweetness that really helped this beer pop.

Taste was also refreshingly crisp. Pine resin and crackery malt.

Fairly light bodied for a DIPA, good even carbonation. Overall an easy drinker and a beer I'd happily drink again.

Serving type: growler

04-02-2011 23:32:02 | More by Spider889

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

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

srandycarter

California

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

A - Pours clear honey, good head, drops to ring, lacing minimal and sudsy.

S - Pine and Citrus blend of hops along with the malt core and brown sugar. My kid thinks it smells like grapefruit with an after smell of cherries.

T - Malty goodness, a tinge of maple syrup, hops galore.

M - Creamy, filling, good carb and coating.

D - For the ABV, deceptively drinkable.

Serving type: growler

12-18-2008 03:55:26 | More by srandycarter

magictrokini

California

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

Pours oily copper with a small white head. Sweet, floral aroma of tropical fruits, grapefruit, and sweet bread. Super-sweet resiny hops up front and throughout. Good amount of oranges, nectarines, and kiwi fruit flavors, but very little pine. Sticky caramel finish.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2009 19:12:44 | More by magictrokini

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

drabmuh

Maryland

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

Growler provided by Dan. Thanks, this is sort of a big deal...a top 100 beer that I have never ticked. At the time of this review, this is the #67 beer on the "Top Beers - Popular", #11 on the "Top Beers - Double IPA", #48 on the "Top Beers - United States", and the #19 beer on the "Top Beers - West Coast" lists, one of my biggest wants. Thanks Dan. Ultimately this is not the best IPA they make...I like fresh Nelson better. I wll definitely have this again if I find it on draft when I finally make it to Alpine. But as it stands now this was a let down for me.

Beer is orange, mostly clear, off white head, nice retention, some lacing, moderate carbonation.

Aroma is grassy, piny, mildly citrus, earthy.

Beer is very hoppy, sweet mildly and earthy, grindingly hoppy, nice flavors with moderate to high bitterness on the backend. Very strong, nice, but the hops seem slightly decayed and the beer is quite resinous. I would definitely have it again on draft but in a growler probably not.

Serving type: growler

03-06-2012 14:16:31 | More by drabmuh

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

DearthVader

California

4.18/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Decided to make a trip down to Alpine today and was greeted by an amzing tap list.

It pours a translucent copper with a nice 1 finger head of pure white foam. The head falls to a crown and doesn't leave any lacing.

It's really hard to get passed the hops in the aroma, but that's a good thing. The nose is jam packed with delicious, juicy hops. Definite citrus notes as well as some nice malt.

Taste follows the nose. The hops just grab hold of your taste buds and dont let go. Very dry finish with a nice citrus resin left behind.

The absolute perfect mouthfeel. Dry, and relatively light. This beer invites 100 degree weather to the party. Insanely refreshing and you can't notice the 9% ABV at all.

This is a great beer. It takes two glasses before you love it though. Kind of your typical DIPA at first, but after the second pour, you understand why it's rated how it is. Well done Alpine.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2011 22:46:11 | More by DearthVader

HalfFull

California

4.22/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear golden into a pint glass with a half inch of dense head. This dissipates in a few minutes yet has a lasting surface film bringing about some scattered lacing.

Smell is rich with hops, piney resinous hops along with some wet peat, hemp and citrus. Hop notes seem unusually volatile, becoming rarer as the carbonation decreases.

Taste is slightly rich initially and finishes with a well carbonated and oily orange citrus flavor. Overall the brew appears a bit thin in body, not having much of a malt balance. Yet what is there cloaks the ABV surprisingly well, improving drinkability. This brew seeks to maximize hops and ABV while keeping those pesky malt calories to a minimum, or not. Yes, perhaps that's just a well manipulated illusion as the bitterness is kept in check. Another fine IPA from Alpine that is rich and robust yet convinces you otherwise after a few sips due to its enticing flavor.

Serving type: growler

12-14-2008 22:41:01 | More by HalfFull

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear golden yellow. A good amount of white head with great head retention. Smells incredibly hoppy. Lots of citrus, grapefruit and pine. Vry nicely balanced hop profile. Tastes very crisp and bitter. Tns of subtle characters coming through. Very solid mouthfeel. A tasty brew

Serving type: growler

04-02-2011 16:03:21 | More by Urbancaver

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

Sean9689

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on-tap at the brewery during my visit to SD. Thanks to Pat for the pour and personal tour, what a nice guy! Reviewed from notes 08/15/09.

A - Pours a very clear golden/orange with a white head. Some good lacing and bubbles remain on top as the cap.

S - Huge hoppy aroma with some citrus and floral notes in there as well. Really, this one was a huge hop bomb that blew out my sense of smell. Bad Boy is right.

T - Hops, bitter, hops, bitter, touch of malt, hops, bitter, bitter. Repeat over and over until you have finished your pour. Pretty much zero malt character, which I like.

M - Light to medium, good carbonation, crisp and smooth.

D - Another great one from Alpine. I think they're the kings of DIPA and IPA. This is yet another great example of what Pat and company are doing in sunny CA.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2010 19:46:04 | More by Sean9689