Columbus IPA - Columbus Brewing Company

tectactoe

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to cneville for this nice, local extra. Pours and orange sunburst color - completely unfiltered and opaque - with a super heavy and foamy off-white head. Even minutes later, a huge chunk of foam is just chilling on top of the beer. Nice lacing all the way down, too.

Aroma starts off with a quick left jab of citrus fruits - and it's almost more of a fruit-juice type aroma rather than the hoppy-citrus aroma. Red grapefruit is big, along with mild pineapple and mango. The fruits are heavy, juicy, and sweet on the nostrils. Light yeast aromas float around as well. The hops give off a bit of an earthy and leafy aroma, but it's far more regressed than I would have expected - not necessarily a bad thing, though.

I take my first swig of Columbus IPA and it feels like I just took a bite out of an extremely ripe, tropical fruit. Big-time juiciness, mainly in the form of grapefruit. Other tropical fruits are surely there, though a bit harder to pick out. I'll go with my hunch from the aroma - pineapples and mangoes. Just as I start to wonder if I'm drinking a juice instead of a beer - the bitterness shows up to the party, about halfway through. The hop profile is leafy and a touch ashy, and the bitterness is pretty damn strong. It hits hard on the back of the tongue and overall, feels heavier than 50 IBU.

There's a nice contrast with this beer - it has the delicate juicy sweetness that seems to crowd the front of your mouth that coincides with the leafy hop bitterness that stings that back of the mouth and tongue. A very interesting profile, that's for sure. The aftertaste errs more towards the bitter side, with the fruit flavors even developing into more of a pith-like stature, bitter and mildly abrasive. Malt is mild overall, with a hint of sweetness through and through. Your mouth gets coated with some yeasty flavors and faint caramel malt in the end, still battling the bitterness wounds. Surprisingly thin and under-carbonated, giving a wet, slick mouth feel.

Didn't know what to expect out of this, hasn't really been on my radar. But it was pretty tasty. Huge tropical fruitiness that comes paired with a heavy bitterness that work quite well together. Good drinkability at 6.5% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 17:35:52 | More by tectactoe

sirsteve42

New York

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-18-2013 00:31:43 | More by sirsteve42

darvinlikemarvin

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -12.2%

05-17-2013 19:46:26 | More by darvinlikemarvin

Lurkerson

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-17-2013 03:30:05 | More by Lurkerson

1424IpA

California

3.25/5  rDev -23.9%

05-15-2013 01:07:10 | More by 1424IpA

diehl07

Ohio

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-13-2013 19:30:42 | More by diehl07

breaks808

California

4.75/5  rDev +11.2%

05-12-2013 07:16:29 | More by breaks808

MastaShonuf

California

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-12-2013 03:54:30 | More by MastaShonuf

HarmonMW

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-12-2013 02:17:42 | More by HarmonMW

DrewShalvoy

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-11-2013 17:30:11 | More by DrewShalvoy

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-10-2013 22:12:39 | More by mikeburd1128

brewtechnik

New Hampshire

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Received a 12oz bottle as an extra in a recent trade and drinking it now...
Wow, quite the surprise...I'm really digging this beer. It strikes the perfect balance between bitterness and hop flavor. Finishes dry and with a little hop bite that begs me to sip again. More back loaded it seems on the hop additions... balanced for flavor and aroma than bitterness which always works better in IPA's imo.
Very nice aroma...the simcoe still coming through even though it's probably an older bottle?
The color is as expected...bit cloudy but what unfiltered IPA isn't?
Definitely worth the try if seen...wish we could get it here in New England!

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 23:23:58 | More by brewtechnik

J10Jordan

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-08-2013 21:25:26 | More by J10Jordan

ehammond1

California

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2013)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, claaark13!

Hazed orange. Moderate off-white head. Gorgeous, sticky, irregular spiderwebs of lace left down the glass. Gorgeous IPA.

Tons of bright, juicy citrus notes and expressive pine hop character. A touch of sweetness. Fantastic. The Midwest's shining IPA star.

The flavor follows the aroma, along with a moderate level of bitterness. Juicy citrus, pine, a touch of sweetness, and bitterness combine exceptionally well.

Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.

Fantastic. Easily, my favorite Midwest IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 23:50:18 | More by ehammond1

BigJim5021

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-06-2013 03:28:25 | More by BigJim5021

Nunya

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -18%

05-05-2013 01:50:46 | More by Nunya

jjheinrichs

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-05-2013 01:21:58 | More by jjheinrichs

brycevolk

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +11.2%

05-05-2013 00:19:42 | More by brycevolk

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A-nice amber color with a good white head and nice lacing

S-tropical fruit, herbal, earthy, light pine, floral notes

T-grapefruit, tropical fruit, pine, floral, earthiness, moderate bitter finish

F-medium body with moderate carbonation, crisp and clean

O-really nice IPA with great flavor, good balance

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 13:06:00 | More by MDDMD

mtbdonn

United Kingdom (England)

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-02-2013 20:17:56 | More by mtbdonn

thegerm87

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -18%

05-01-2013 01:53:17 | More by thegerm87

mattafett

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -12.2%

05-01-2013 01:34:33 | More by mattafett

fullmoonbeer

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -23.9%

04-30-2013 02:22:16 | More by fullmoonbeer

Dirt

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

04-30-2013 00:05:03 | More by Dirt

ItsBeer4Me

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

04-28-2013 22:28:15 | More by ItsBeer4Me