Bad Boy - Alpine Beer Company

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.3/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another nice one from Alpine, these guys seem to know something about hops. Thanks to Matt (starrdogg) for sharing this one last night.

At first I didnt know if I loved this compared to other offerings from Alpine, but the more I had to more I liked it. At first the hops seemed unbalanced but I think once you get pas the first sip it seems to make more sense and taste delicious.

A: The beer pours a super hazy opaque orange with some lacing left and a small ring of fluffy head. Looks kind of like some homebrews I've had, usually like a little brighter orange and less cloudy with more head, but still looks good.

S: Very raw spicy hop aromas, reminds me of opening those air tight bags of hops that homebrewers use. Super dank, kitchen spice, vegetable hop aromas, grass, and even more herbal hops. Not much malt but I dont care.

T: Not super balanced, very much in the direction of hops with little malt to speak of, and at first I was a little put off but then started to really love the hop bite. Raw luscious grass and citrus hop. I can't even really say theres much malt character, its mostly just a bit of sweetness.

M: Bitter back, sweet up front, not super thick but oily over the palate.

Overall another nice beer, but not my favorite from them, which isn't saying much cause most of the time I give their beers A+. Another hop heads dreamy beer!

Serving type: growler

10-08-2011 14:48:51 | More by Dreadnaught33

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.47/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks for sending this Brandon!

Growler poured into a Pint glass.

A - Pours a clear, medium orange with a half finger, near-white head. The head fades mostly to the sides and leaves spots of lacing on the glass.

S - Very strong citrus - orange, lemon, and honey.

T - Orange, grapefruit, lemons.

D - Average body and carbonation. Very smooth.

O - Very fruity and wonderful.

Serving type: growler

10-08-2011 04:19:46 | More by HuskyinPDX

Klym

California

4.55/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to my brother for this growler. Poured into a surly pint glass.

A: Pours a dark but very transparent gold with a hint of red. A small fragile and foamy head that leaves small slices of lacing.

S: Holy hop heaven. Deep dank, citrus, and wheat, hops on tops of hops. Majorly pungent, but not at all obnoxious.

T: The nose says it all. Nice smooth tame dank flavor explodes into citrus hop mayhem and gets carried out in a cart of wheat and wood. Can alpine be any better and destroying the IPA/DIPA world?

M: The mouthfeel is certainly the weak spot on this beer if it has one. It's been in the growler for a little while and underwent some long transportation, so it might account for its very slight flatness. Regardless it's delicious, and is just so overshadowed by the good spots on this beer.

O: This is Alpine showing off. Most breweries cant make one decent IPA. Alpine makes another.. and another.. and another.. all so unique, all so delicious, and all kings-- this one is no different and definitely a top 3 alpine brew for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 02:20:54 | More by Klym

Chriscrundwell12

Minnesota

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

Poured from a growler into a tasting glass. Thanks Brandon for sharing this with everyone.

A- Pours a clear golden yellow color, nice lacing and retention, ½ finger off white head.
S- The aroma is fantastic, big fruity aroma, spice, mango, citrus, peach, grapefruit, pineapple.
T- The taste is very similar to the aroma, really fruity and complex, really smooth as well, peach, mango, pineapple, citrus, some peppery spice in the background, nice malt base to balance it out.
M- Medium mouth feel, really smooth drinking with a crisp/dry finish.
O- Another amazing DIPA from Alpine, they can do no wrong in my eyes when it comes to IPAs. Smooth, complex, and easy drinking.

Serving type: growler

10-02-2011 11:01:29 | More by Chriscrundwell12

Cavery

California

4.33/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Growler provided to me by my In-Laws. Amazing hook up in the greater Escondido area! I placed a phone call to my wife about the prospect of making it out to Alpine. We couldn't due to our work schedules, so her parents grabbed us a growler. Way too awesome.

Poured into my Woodshop Classix snifter, good times.

A: Light white grape juice body with some soapy smearing lacing off of a 3 finger head. I was very pleased with the head formation out of the growler, and the bubbles pop with a fury of freshness. The body is quite clear with a lot of white wine characteristics to the body. A slow stream of bubbles whirlpools in the middle of the glass.

S: White grapefruit, pineapple juice, and some peaches really come off strong in the nose. The notes are softer, hence the "white", but it's really juicy. The hops come off very pomello and white grapefruit. There is a hard to explain lightness and dryness to the smell that just makes it seem fresh, yet mellow.

T: Really crisp white peach, white grapefruit, white nectarines, and a light currents/white cranberry dry flavor. There seems to be a bitter acidity to the flavor that I can't quite pinpoint, but it's quickly lost after repeat sips. Massive floral quality that makes me think of some foreign teas that I'm not really familiar with. Perhaps the slightest bit of orange blossom in the end.

M: Super fluffy and full dessert mousse feels in the mouth where the alcohol coats like a thin layer of honey. The hops linger with a mellow citrus rind bitterness that feigns dryness behind a flavorful layer of alcoholic marmalade. Sticky, but not quite thick with resins. It's more like having a fresh citrus jam than a wet linger of a strong booze.

O: What a big surprise, another amazingly delicious DIPA from Alpine. I really have just become so numb to the extremely high quality of their IPAS/DIPAS that I can hardly see past the incredible consistency of their work. There is more of a white citrus, fruit, and berry flavor in this than I've ever had in any other DIPA. I don't know for certain what the ingreidents in this beer were, but this certainly seems to be a Citra brew in the nose. I'm not certain if it's single hop, but the way that Alpine makes their beers to be so jammy and full convinces me than can work magic even with the most basic of ingredients. Throw in a super pungent hop and you end up with lightning in a glass like this one. Simply outstanding and worth seeking out.

Serving type: growler

10-02-2011 02:56:50 | More by Cavery

jrallen34

Illinois

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

Thanks to Chris for this fresh growler... Pours a nice clear gold with a huge head and incredibly lacing... The aroma is a little muted buts its super fresh grassy hops, really nice... The taste is more grassy hops, a touch of alcohol but hidden well for 9%. Very crushable... This is well worth seeking out.

Serving type: growler

05-30-2011 14:28:01 | More by jrallen34

notchucknorris

California

4.93/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Clear, honey color with a ring of white foam around the top.

S: Dear God. The smell of this one is amazing. Huge pine hops, mango and a ton of hop resins. Incredible.

T: There's a big, peppery pine hop bite right off the bat and then a little bit of bready malt that evens things out just enough. The finish is huge and bitter, like sucking on a hop cone. There's a hint of tropical fruit sweetness towards the end. This is an absolute must-try.

Serving type: on-tap

04-12-2011 22:38:47 | More by notchucknorris

yeahnatenelson

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to Robert Zimmerman for breaking this 'bad boy' out. Har har...

Appearance -- Pours a semi-hazed tumeric yellow with a slim sudsy white head. Very unique coloring. Photogenic for sure.

Smell -- Tropical fruit bomb, particularly papaya and pineapple. Caramel malt as well, along with a dab of underlying resinous bitterness. Hop aromas are just beautiful.

Taste -- Bright citrus and tropical fruits in abundance: papaya, mango, sticky ripe pineapple. A slight green onion flavor is also present, but not much of a distraction. Gently sweet caramel base, but a solid baseline hop bitterness keeps this in check. Dry finish.

Mouthfeel -- Smooth, medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Slightly boozy.

Overall -- Amazing DIPA! This takes tropical fruit bomb to a new level. Really exceptional, even topping Exponential Hoppiness. If I lived in the area of the brewery I'd drink this any time I could find it on tap.

Serving type: growler

04-11-2011 00:43:49 | More by yeahnatenelson

brew3crew

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to mrhirseybar for the hook up. Shared at jackie o's with brad and BAs.

A-great color. Beautiful orange with nice white head
S-very fruity and citrsy. Love the smell
T-believe it or not it tastes better than it smells! Wonderful blend if fruity hops with a nice malt backbine to hold it up
M-medium body and oh so smooth!
O-wow. This is amazing. Alpine did a phenominal job here. Wish it was more avalible!

Serving type: growler

04-07-2011 22:41:02 | More by brew3crew

AgentZero

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Chris for supplying this growler during Eric's visit to Chicago. We played flag football with it in the parking lot of Thai Thank You before Sean stubbed his toe and we had to call it quits.

A - Amber colored beer with two fingers of head that had some good retention and left a nice bit of chunky lacing on the sides.

S - Lots of tropical notes and fruits in this one. The hop profile is not very resinous, and has some more fruit and citrus notes. The bittering aspect to it is not harsh at all.

T - This is such a great tasting brew, made even better possibly by the fact I had just drank a less that stellar DIPA. Tropical notes are great, and there is a sufficiently soft bittering quality that keeps it balanced. Malts are not dominating at all, rather complimentary if you're looking for them, great stuff.

M - Crisp carbonation and medium bodied. Strays away from being too sugary.

O - Great beer, Alpine is very good at doing DIPAs, and this one is no exception. Would love to drink it again.

Serving type: growler

04-07-2011 18:35:12 | More by AgentZero

regspeir

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Session was growler pours (thank you sleepyhead!) into a standard pint glass. This great looking DIPA poured a light orange, almost honey-colored, with a two-finger, white-as-snow head. There was healthy, sticky lacing with good retention. The nose was wonderful - orange, mango, lemon, pine, floral and citrus hops predominating but some sweetness in the back. Taste was near perfection - tropical fuit and grapefruit with light malt notes. There was the expected (refreshing, not off-putting) moderate bitterness, especially in the finish. Mouthfeel was medium-bodied, lightly carbonated, and crisp, even after it warms. There was no hint that this could be 9%, so it's dangerously drinkable. Maybe Alpine makes an OK beer but I haven't had it and this one sure isn't it. Having now had over 150 different IPA's and DIPA's, this jumps easily near the top. Do those of you who live close to the treasure know how fortunate you are? I love this beer AND this brewery! If you get the chance - grab it!

Serving type: growler

04-05-2011 03:06:05 | More by regspeir

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

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

Poured into a pint glass.

From notes taken at the Alpine Beer Pub.

A - Light amber color with a 0.5 inch head that is white and very dense.

S - Aroma of dank hops. Some pine oils and some nice resin notes. Some lsight sweetness formt eh hops as well. Pretty hop forward. Not as booze heavy as expected with the 9%.

T & M - Dangerously smooth. Nice pine notes with some good dank hops and sticky resin notes. Citrus fills the middle of the beer with a slightly bready balance and then a bitter and dry finish that leaves a nice hoppy mess. Mouthfeel is a bit on the medium side with some sweet notes but mostly a easy drinker. Except for the higher ABV that is well hidden.

O - Its appropriately hop forward but quite smooth at the same time. Can be dangerous because of the ease of drinking. Solid DIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2011 00:58:06 | More by JoEBoBpr

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

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

AleWatcher

Illinois

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

Growler into Ithaca tulip.
Thanks to smokepot23 for the growler.

Pours a nice deep gold, just slightly hazy. Nice 2 fingers of loose white head. Good chunks of lacing. Nice retention.

Tropical fruits, pineapple, grapefruit... Mmmm. This has a great nose. Certainly not like Sarah Jessica Parker at all.

The flavor is very nice as well... I think the nose is better than the flavor, although not are quite nice. This is a quintessential DIPA. There is absolutely nothing about this beer that I am not enjoying. The flavor has a light (very light!) malt like crackers. The hops have a nice tropical fruit and grapefruit note. Fantastic bitterness just loitering in my mouth... Very nice.

As this warmed up, I did find one thing I disliked: there is a hint of garlicy summit hops... Meh.

The body is nice- well carbed and relatively light. Very easy to drink. Me likey.
I will keep this one on my wants list.

The

Serving type: growler

04-02-2011 01:09:39 | More by AleWatcher

DJButters

California

4.9/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Similar to all DIPA. Arrives with dark gold color and a perfect head that sheds a little lace. Apperance is one thing... but how does it smell and taste?

Smell: Tropical fruit and hops so strong you feel a scatchy sensation on the back of your throat. So fresh its oozing though the glass. Last DIPA that this compares to is PtY. Is this dry hopped? Could have fooled me.

Taste: Smooth. Well done hidding the 9+%. Drinking other high ABV DIPAs leaves you with the feeling of breathing fire this brew seems to hide the fact very well. There is no bitterness on the back end, the epitome of a fresh DIPA. No malt favors distorting the back end flavor. A dance in your mouth of hops and tropical flavors.

Mouthfeel: Why not just finish the whole growler? Drinkability is so easy that one could.

Overall: A perfect DIPA IMO. I will put it side by side with Hopfather and PtY. Drink up while its fresh. Shawn knocked this one out of the park.

Serving type: on-tap at Alpine and a two growlers to go. In addition I had a Pure Hop on cask with dry hops added... very tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2011 16:46:08 | More by DJButters

brentk56

North Carolina

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

Appearance: Arrives with a clear light amber color and a modest cap that sheds a little lace; looks nice overall

Smell: Like a walk through the tropical produce section at a grocery story, I pick up grapefruit, orange, pineapple and mango

Taste: The tropical fruit flavors provide an enticing balance of sweet and citrusy bitterness from start to finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with crisp carbonation

Overall: Here is a DIPA that balances the malt and hops perfectly in a complement that never gets cloying, limits the assault on the tongue and benefits from a great mouthfeel; one of the best examples of the west coast DIPA style I have encountered

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2011 11:31:46 | More by brentk56

rand

California

4.93/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From tap to tulip glass

Reviewed from notes from San Diego Beer Week

Pours a clear yellow orange, little carbonation, little head. Looks oily.

Smells of strong pine, some tropical notes, alcohol. Did I say pine?

It tastes of bitter, piny hops up front, probably the most bitter of Alpine's line-up. Turns to sweet, caramelly malts with a tropical nuance, suggesting mango-papaya. Spicy alcohol burn. Finishes amazingly balanced and clean.

It feels big and creamy on the palate, not sticky. Plenty of deceptive carbonation that wasn't seen in the pour.

I could drink this all day. Alpine makes some of the best IPA's out there, this is yet another.

Update 9/15/11: Just got a growler of the latest batch...did a line up of Bad Boy against Kern River Citra and PtE, my three favorite DIPA's. Alpine seems to have perfected this beer - it was the best of the three.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2011 23:08:10 | More by rand

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

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

Growler courtesy of the always generous Ryan....big thanks on a real surprise!

Transparent medium orange pour with a nice head and spotty lacing throughout.

Fresh tropical fruits on the nose: pulling loads of fresh cut pineapple and white gooey nectarine. Discernible sweetness, but mostly in the form of natural fruit sugar. Nice.

White nectarine really stands out here. Uncanny. Starts sweet and juicy and ends resinous, dry, and mildly bitter.

Overall quite nice and though I realize it's 9%, the bite here is evident. Really my only qualm and it's a small one. If the abv were somehow better hidden, this would be fantastic. As is, it's still very, very good.

Serving type: growler

12-15-2010 01:46:55 | More by BarrytheBear

HopHead84

California

4.65/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

11/26/10

Thanks, Arthur. Snifter.

A: Transparent dark orange with a frothy white head. Good clarity and color. Good head retention and scattered lacing.

S: Grapefruit, orange (pith and flesh), peach, pine resin, crackery malt, a little alcohol. Splendid aroma. Short lived sweetness, very dry on the whole.

T: Upper moderate bitterness. Ephemeral sweetness, pulverized by a citrus attack comprised of grapefruit rind and flesh, as well as orange flesh. There's some peach in there also. Pine is pervasive, and malt has no real presence aside from light cracker notes. Alcohol is noticeable. 

M: Sticky and dry mouthfeel. Medium body. Good carbonation.

Overall: A top notch Double IPA and consistently one of my favorites.

Serving type: growler

11-27-2010 06:09:12 | More by HopHead84

DeanMoriarty

California

4.88/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a growler of this for $14. (absolute steal!) at Alpine Brewery in Alpine, CA. and poured it into a pint glass.

A: Pours a clean golden/light amber (apple juice) hue with a decent head and small amounts of lacing from start to finish.

S: Major floral hop - earthy and sweet, fresh cut grass, grapefruit, a bit of grain and malt but the hops are running the show.

T: Earthy hops with a ton of citrus bight, a bit of tropical fruit, sweet malt and grain to finish - not too sure where they're hiding the 9% ABV, because there's hardly a trace of it in the flavor, and it's not over-rmalted like a lot of DIPA's out there - just hops for daze!

M: Medium-bodied and surprisingly very dry for a DIPA (none of the sticky mouthfeel you generally get from this beer style), the mellow carbonation lends to the smoothness well and the bitterness in the mouth from the hop is amazing.

D: Ridiculously drinkable for a DIPA, but man the 9% sneaks up and takes control. Don't get me wrong, my growler's empty, but I think i'm done for the night!

Serving type: growler

11-27-2010 02:27:13 | More by DeanMoriarty

koopa

New Jersey

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

Growler of San Diego beer week goodness sent to me in a trade thanks to johndoe8!

Appearance: Pours a transparent goldfish orange with a 2 finger off white (slightly buttery...hop oil tinged) crown that displays good retention and lace.

Smell: Strong pine note over a slight caramel base with pineapple sweetened edges. Some grapefruit notes lend support. Really nice but I'd expect a bit more punch out of a geniune west coast DIPA from a brewer as reputable as Alpine.

Taste: Same as nose but more full flavored! Enough bitterness to satisfy but not overly bitter by any means. Tiny hint of alcohol presence.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation.

Drinkability: Pretty sessionable!

Serving type: growler

11-18-2010 23:01:19 | More by koopa

Gobzilla

California

4.33/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured amber brown with yellow highlights that had a thin head and left a little bit of lacing sticking to the glass. The aroma was pretty damn piney with floral hops, citrus, slight mango, and a good sweet malty presence. Upfron the piney hop notes stand out nice on the palate alongside citrus grapefruit that help out on the overall bitter bite but also had mango accents and a great malty backbone to balance out the piney potentcy. The brew was medium body with a fair amount of carbonation which had a piney hoppy bitter crisp finish. It drank really good and I felt like it was expo's baby brother.

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2010 03:18:33 | More by Gobzilla

OlieIPA

California

4.88/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my Maui Brewing tulip/pint glass at roughly 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

A: A pale copper body with a white colored head and decent amounts of lacing; looks pretty darn tasty!

S: A robust and clean forest/pine aroma throughout with hints of grapefruit and orange towards the second half. Upon further analysis (And what I mean by "analysis" is...basically sticking my nose into my glass and inhaling this BAD BOY for several minutes), I was able to pick a very rich and complex malt body that wasn't there initially. This character was noticeable enough, that it was almost as if I had just picked up a handful of malted barley from my local homebrew shop.

T: The initial sip is a combination of citrus fruits, and again, pine-like flavors. The malt body is sweet at first, which I think might be attributed and enhanced by the high alcohol presence, but then transcends into a sharp "grapenut" (yes, like the cereal) quality. The alcohol presence is detectable, but in many ways, helps accentuate a lot of the underlying flavors of the beer.

M: A medium body DIPA that leaves a thin layer of oil on the palate.

D: Even though this was a high gravity beer, Bad Boy was able to make up for some of it's heat by supplying the palate with ample amounts of flavor and complexity.

Overall: This beer reminds me in so many ways of Pliny the Elder straight from the source. A sweet and rich malt body, accompanied by tons of clean...yet fruity hop flavors and characteristics. A masterpiece to say the least...and probably the best DIPA produced by San Diego County. A must try. Cheers!

Serving type: growler

08-30-2010 00:31:57 | More by OlieIPA

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