Third Voyage Double IPA - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

jwc215

New Jersey

3.64/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From a variety pack with freshness date of June 2013 on box. Label on bottle doesn't have a freshness date, but it says to drink now or age. (Aging a hoppy brew? Not me.)

Nice appearance - orange tinted dark amber with a creamy off-white head that leaves uneven rings of lacing.

The smell is of pine and citrus with some caramel.

The taste is of caramel with pine/resin. Some citrus peaks through. Finishes with lingering residual sugars, some leafy bitterness, and a touch of alcohol dryness.

It has a certain smoothness about it. It's a bit sticky.

While not a "hop bomb", it reaches enough strength, along with an alcohol kick, to reach the style (though I would buy in to "IPA and a half" if there were such a thing. Not bad. Good enough to have a second!

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 20:58:28 | More by jwc215

bump8628

Oklahoma

2.79/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

Clear copper body, spotty white head with a few splatters of lace. The malt side of things is pretty decent - clean graininess with a smooth, light caramel vein. Hops are just way too meek. Basically pale ale hopping on a DIPA foundation. Mild minty and citric hops, slightly tea-like, that's about it. Just needs more hops - bitterness, flavor, and aroma.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 03:37:57 | More by bump8628

Huffs

New York

3.91/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a Sam Adams glass, developed a full dense head which was a dough color and lasted and laced well. Color was a rusty, orange with a slight haze. Aroma was a buttery citrus with a nice malt and hop balance. Taste was hoppy with an earthy citrus at the front and a hoppy sweetness to finish. Mouthfeel was full and carbonated with a light, dry aftertaste. Good beer all in all.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 21:51:58 | More by Huffs

Jadjunk

Georgia

2.95/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

"Bright and Intense with a Vivid Hop Punch: This unique double IPA takes the style's origins a step furhter. IPAs were born out of making an ale that could sustain a long voyage. For our take, we were inspired by the indominatable Capt. James Cook whose 3rd voyage made him the first to navigate a treacherous route from England to New Zealand to the Pacific Northwest. Using Cascade hops from each of these regions, we created a brew that's citrusy, earthy, and full of bold character." Third Voyage Double IPA is brewed in the style of a double IPA. Available as 12 oz. bottles in the Hop Collection (June 2012), there is no bottle date, and the label suggests aging as a possibility for this beer, so I did. This bottle is 6 months aged.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a snifter. Served above 50º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a creamy eggnog tone head of a thick consistency over a very hazy maple-orange body. Carbonation is plentiful. Retention is nice and lacing is medium but drapes solid. Very good appearance. 4.75

(Smell) Very bready malt-forward. Heavy caramel and buttery malt presence with a much lighter hop essence. Hops are earthy and mildly floral, not quite citrusy as Cascade usually is. Tones of booze shine through. Not quite as bright or bold as expected. Smells sweet and boozy. 3

(Taste) Very thick caramel with a spicy rye tone. Hops are again, faint in flavor but adequate in bitterness with a piney finish. The balance swings this beer towards very sweet, a slow drinker with a strong boozy maple finish that quickly becomes cloying and not particularly enjoyable. All-in-all the balance is off, with not enough subtleties to keep the drinker interested. The flavors are too intense in one spot and not enough in the other. It's a malt-heavy IPA with little emphasis on the hops themselves. Very sweet and in general not enjoyable. 2.75

(Mouthfeel) Thick and chewy pine with an oily slickness, a very full and heavy mouthfeel and a moist, resiny thick finish. Body is heavy for the style, medium-heavy overall. Alcohol presence is high. As continuing with the flavors, the body is just too high for this beer. It could be far more enjoyable and drinkable with a reduced malt profile and a bigger emphasis on the limited hop character. It's sharply out of balance. There's work to be done on the mouthfeel of this beer. 2.75

(Overall) I did not personally enjoy this beer. I found it to be too heavy on the malt character, which droned out most of the hop notes, which were surprisingly subtle in flavor for what is usually a bright and vibrant citrusy hop varietal. The sweetness became too much quite quickly with a super-sweet finish and dragged down the drinking experience. The beer itself isn't terrible, but certainly is far from an exceptional double IPA, focusing too hard on intensifying flavors while sacrificing drinkability. I couldn't have more than one of these in a single session. 3

Boston Brewing Company's
Samuel Adams Third Voyage Double IPA
2.95/5.00

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 22:05:36 | More by Jadjunk

abeerwiseguy

Texas

3.34/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Spotted a bottle of Boston Beer/Samuel Adams’ Double IPA titled Third Voyage and decided to give it a test drive.

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pilsner glass it showed a hazy amber almost copper color with three fingers of an off white head that was slowly reabsorbed by the beer.

The beer had aromas of both citrus and a malty sweetness with faint piney notes also.

The flavors of orange and lemon were detectable as were bread or yeast flavors, all dominated by a light to moderate hop complexity. Nice lingering citrusy flavors with hop induced bitterness and some malt based sweetness but there was no residual malt or sweetness on the finish.

I liked the rich, viscous mouth feel with medium carbonation and I appreciated the long, clean finish.

Overall I believe this beer, while representative of the Double IPA style, lands in the middle of the pack. I am used to Double IPA’s with more hop induced complexity to the flavors and to the finish. This one fell a bit short on both counts.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 20:04:38 | More by abeerwiseguy

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I took (at least) a third voyage into my cellar to find this baby. Today's meaningless Steelers game is not being telecast over-the-air today and I have no pressing desire to voyage into the cold. Perhaps later, but not right now.

From the bottle: "Bright and Intense with a Vivid Hop Punch"; "This unique double IPA takes the style's origins a step further. IPAs were born out of making an ale that could sustain a lon voyage. For our take, we were inspired by the indomitable Capt. James Cook whose 3rd voyage made him the first to navigate a treacherous route from England to New Zealand to the Pacific Northwest. Using Cascade hops from each of these regions we created a brew that's citrusy, earthy, and full of bold character."; "At Samuel Adams, we love experimenting. This series of limited edition brews represents some of our favorite small batch creations. Batch No. 1".

Not only did my pour create a finger-and-a-half of dense, foamy tawny head with good retention, but the room smelled like grapefruit juice was being sprayed from an atomizer as air freshener! Color was a deep-coppery amber with NE-quality clarity. As the head began to fall, I was presented with some lovely sticky lacing in its wake. Holding the lass up to my nose, I got caramel malt commingling with the citrusy hops. The first mouthful was initially wildly hoppy and full, giving 'way to a caramel sweetness as it warmed. The finish had a toffee, anise and lemon/grapefruit flavor, if that can be reconciled in anyone else's mind. Phew! To say that it was dry would be an understatement. I began to hear the Zephyr winds blowing across the Sahara Desert. It is precisely beers like this that make me a self-described hophead. You may chase all of the RISs and Sours that you like as long as you leave this kind of beer for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 18:43:46 | More by woodychandler

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

came with the ipa sampler

this was a decent brew, poured a murky amber orange with some suspended sediment. smell was piney and flowery, taste followed with moderate bitterness and a boozy aftertaste.

honestly could pass as a single ipa, not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 11:43:09 | More by jimmah120

BigBarley

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a deep, ruby-brown. Opaque. Head is thick, off-white, that recedes to a thick ring over a few minutes. Nice looking DIPA.

S - Piney hops up front, sweet, copper, caramel, malty undertones. There's a highly floral note that sets it off, and all the malt character comes immediately behind.

T - Piney hops! Sweet, citrus bitterness. Mild copper taste, from the sweet malts. Very balanced, but not the most interesting DIPA ever. Delicious, just not anything fresh or unique.

M - Plenty thick, but smooth. Not overwhelmingly alcoholic, with a sparse carbonation. Very drinkable, but plenty of heft. Mouthfeel might be my favorite part of this beer.

O - This beer is very well-made, and I will drink it again I'm sure. But there is not a whole lot that makes this beer unique. Delicious and balanced, the only thing it's missing is a unique aspect. Decent DIPA overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 13:32:13 | More by BigBarley

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: wow, this is a damn fine lookin ipa. Big frothy head that hangs around.
Smell: solid fruity, citrus. Not deeply complex that I can tell but just full and nice.
Taste: more of the same. Not mind blowing but damn tasty.
Overall: very fine beer and cool idea. Great take on cascade.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 00:07:14 | More by cindyjeffsmith

Ryan011235

Ohio

2.05/5  rDev -44.3%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Poured into an E&J Cask & Cream glass on 10/6/12

Copper and rust colored with an ample, three finger plumage of foam that take a good bit of time to dissipate. Impressive swaths, rings and trails of lace. Thin retention with dense, soapy bubbles.

The aroma has a lot of what I don't like in a DIPA - caramel, buttery bread and booze. The hops that are there are none too impressive; floral and candy-like with dank citrus and some cat pee.

The taste is a step up from the aroma, I reckon. Still not very good, though. More hops come through with a decent amount of pine and strong bitterness on the finish. The malts aren't as bad either; though they are far more prominent than I prefer, bread outweighs the caramel. It isn't quite as boozy as I was bracing for. Catty aftertaste.

The body is full with gritty undercurrents and a meager alcohol slickness. Carbonation is moderately low which gives this too heavy a beer something of a more accessible feel. All things told, the feel is low on my list of complaints.

This might as well be branded as an imperial version of Latitude 48. I certainly won't give this another try, but the bottle is worth finishing. Well, as long as I don't smell it anymore.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 05:49:24 | More by Ryan011235

FreshHawk

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Deep copper color with a average sized, light, foamy, bubbly, white head. Average retention leaving a faint ring of lace.

S - Lots of caramel/toffee sweetness. Plenty of resinous pine and some sweet citrus. Touches of other berry fruits. Sweet and alcoholic aroma.

T - Similar to the nose. This is a fairly sweet and malty DIPA. Strong oily, resinous pine flavor that provides an ever-growing bitterness. Some citrus (grapefruit and orange along with a rind flavor).

M - Light to medium body. Little carbonation. Very slick and oily.

D - A little too sweet and boozy for me to consider this drinkable. Definitely a beer to sip, but it's just not a satisfying beer to sip on. Stays on your tongue for awhile.

Notes: Fairly malty DIPA. Loads of caramel flavor with the prominent hop flavor being pine. It's not offending, but it isn't exactly what I like for a DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 02:37:21 | More by FreshHawk

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

2.35/5  rDev -36.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Thanks to Jay for the bottle! About 6 oz poured into a tasting snifter.

A: Pours a dark copper color with about average clarity. The head...err, I mean collar is a light cream color with decent lacing.

S: The hops are more or less dead aside from a touch of pine, so we have to rely on the maltiness, which is loaded with caramel sweetness, but not much depth.

T: Sweet, with only a touch of piny hops. This might have been decent fresh, but right now the hops only provide generic bitterness and the profile is too sweet on the open.

M: This is fairly syrupy with a wet finish. Those two qualities NEVER go together in an IPA.

O: A shame this was such an old bottle, this might have been pretty damn good. It's kind of hard to judge the qualities of an old DIPA, but in its current state, it's just not good.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 02:31:51 | More by ThisWangsChung

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Burnt orange color with chunky white head that lingers long.

Smell is richly floral and piney. Nice citrus notes. Very inviting.

Taste is dissappointing. Sweet malts up front with musty, earthy bitterness. Very bitter aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied. Lots of carbonation.

Overall this smelled great but dissappointing from there on.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 22:45:17 | More by TrappistJohnMD

Beer_Runner

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The labe states "Enjoy now or age it to further develop rich and unique flavors." I will have it now.
Poured slowly into a standard pint glass.

A: It poured to about three fingers of rich and firm, beige head. After several minutes the head disapated to about half a finger and then slowly receded to a ring around the edge of the glass. It also left a very nice lacing. The brew is a dark copper color and translucent.

S: The aroma is citrusy and earthy with a sweet caramel malt, too.

T: A sweet malt taste and an earthy bitterness balance each other with just a little citrus near the end.

M: The body is on the heavier side of medium and very satisfying. It does not have very much carbonation and is fairly smooth and just a bit sticky.

O: This is a very balanced DIPA. It has strong hops and malt flavors that blend together well. It is also not very comlex, and the simplicity is good in this beer because it lets the flavors of the New Zealand hops come through. It is simply sweet malt and earthy hops, and just a little bit of citrus at the end to keep things interesting. This is a DIPA worth trying in order to experience the world's variety of hops flavors.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 23:49:25 | More by Beer_Runner

FanofHefe

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bomber poured into a Duvel tulip; no freshness dating apparent. Pours a slightly hazy amber/orange body with a full, three-finger tan head. Good retention and nice lacing.

The aroma is very nice up front: pine and citrus hop notes from the start and nice caramel malt finish. Inviting.

The taste is a little bit of a let down from the aroma. The hop flavors, primarily pine resin and a touch of grapefruit, get a little lost in a very strong malt mix. Very much an east coast-style blend, as expected from and east coast brewery, but the nice aroma had me hoping for a bit more hop flavor.

Medium to thick texture in the mouthfeel. Overall a decent brew but not a repeater for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 00:07:19 | More by FanofHefe

nickfl

Florida

3.4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours with one finger of off white foam on top of a hazy, golden brown body. The head fades away slowly and leaves decent lace on the glass.

S - Pungent pine and grapefruit hops with lots of bready malt in the background.

T - Lots of sweaty hop flavor up front with a bit of caramel. Grapefruit and pithy bitterness in the middle and a finish of citrus, pine and a strong, asprin-like bitterness.

M - Medium body, moderately high carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - The aroma is quite nice and while the flavor starts out promising, the bitterness is quite harsh and really ruins the overall experience. The malt profile is kind of muddy and really doesn't do anything to push back against the excessively harsh hops. This really could have been much better than it is if the hops had been used more wisely.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 01:45:17 | More by nickfl

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch no. 1:

Into a chalice:

A: brown/red body leaves a concave white half finger head that slowly dies into the body. The body is too dark for any carbonation to be seen. Some spotty spiderweb lacing appears and slides gently down the sides of my chalice.

S: hops up front with a bit of light malts here and there.

T: more maltier and the hops are really more subdued. It leaves a malty aftertaste and finish.

M: medium, slightly creamy, sessionable

O: this is a good beer and I would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 18:41:40 | More by kangarooAdam59

daledeee

Iowa

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 22 oz bottle.

poured a bright clear chestnut. Lots of light tan head and great lacing.

Nose is not much. At least it smells fresh.

Taste is on the malty side. Yes, there is hops there but this one is on the far end of the spectrum. It is a pretty balanced tasting brew. It is just a little rough on the finish.

Mouth feel is creamy and carbonated. Overall, this is a pretty drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 22:57:50 | More by daledeee

beertunes

Washington

3.18/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in tulip. Poured a clean, clear copper color with over an inch of just off-white head that had good retention and lacing.

The aroma was mostly pine and citrus hops with just a bit of malt in the background. The taste was the same, just a bit of lightly sweet malt and a dominant pine hop taste, with just a bit of a citrus hop finish.

The body was thinner than I like in the style, but is probably more what most folks look for, and was clean in general. Drinkability was good, the went down quickly and easily enough. Overall, a decent, if unspecial, brew. Worth a shot if you see it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2012 21:54:20 | More by beertunes

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.1/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into a Duvel tulip. No date, but it has the fine print: "enjoy now or age it to further develop rich and unique flavors." Not the advice I'd give for a DIPA, but whatever.

A: Clear, dark reddish-amber body under two fingers of dense off-white head. Great retention and solid lace. Dark for the style, but an attractive brew all the same.

S: Pretty intense, with lots of caramel malt and spicy, grassy hops. Some pine as well, and a hint of booze. Not bad, but nothing special either.

T: Big caramel and fig sweetness up front, followed by pronounced grassiness and a bittersweet, boozy finish. Citrus and bitterness on the aftertaste. Too sweet, but drinkable.

M: Highly carbonated - a bit sticky right away and creamy thereafter - with tons of body and stickiness. A bit over the top, but fitting for what the beer is doing elsewhere.

O: No better than average for a style that, to my tastes, demands some serious hoppy character especially if the malt backbone is going to be so pronounced. This one is definitely on the DIPA/barleywine border, so I can now see why the label suggests cellaring as a possibility, but at least for now it's not a terribly good representative of either style. It's not a terrible addition to the IPA mix-pack, but I wouldn't buy it again. There are just too many top-notch DIPAs out there to bother with mediocre ones.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 00:40:56 | More by woosterbill

bmwats

Louisiana

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500 ml bottle into a tulip.

A: Dark amber. Pours about a 1 finger, foamy, cream head. Settles slowly, leaving a substantial foam blanket and a beer ring. Lots o' beer ring lacing. Head renews fully with each pour.

S: Pine, lavender, parsley, and a little honey.

T: Hops with a floral note.

M: Bitter, and biting. Full body, with a bitter orange-y citrus in the front, and lingering honey hoppy goodness in the finish.

D: Sip and enjoy.

Atmosphere is very good. Nice hue, foamy head, and plenty of sticky lacing. Nose is floral hoppy goodness. Flavor is an Italian spicy, floral, hops. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 02:37:56 | More by bmwats

david131

Michigan

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours an ever so lightly hazed orange-copper liquid with a thin white head.

S- Caramel, apples, pine, and grass. Simple.

T- Sweet caramel, pine, and brown sugar. Simple.

M- Bitter up front followed by some sweetness. Leaves some lingering bitterness.

O- A very average but nice take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 19:50:38 | More by david131

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Brown/orange with an amber hue. Large frothy off-white head with wonderful retention. Malted barley, caramel, floral hops and earthy pine. Really fresh, indulging aroma. Fresh and extra bitter hop bite with brown sugar and pine on the first sip. The overall body consists mainly of creamy, bitter hops and rich malts. Flatter, mildly spicy finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 23:17:40 | More by YouSkeete

artdob

California

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark amber. No head to speak of from my bottle, though modest lacing on glass.

Barely picking up anything on the nose - maybe because mine is a tad too cold (I usually don't chill my brewskis).

Things take a huge turn for me in the taste department. Really nice classic IPA style with just the right amount of hop bitterness. Slight hiney sweetness presents a nice balance.

Decent carbonation as this one lingers with a longish finish.

Third Voyage - I would easily revisit this brew.

Happy National IPA day!

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 04:51:03 | More by artdob

Cavanaghty

Maine

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed on International IPA Day 2012, poured from bottle into a Sam Adams Glass.

Appearance: Darker golden amber color with about two fingers of off-white head that lasted about 5 minutes. A small amoutn of spotty lacing on the glass.

Smell: Very sweet smelling, very much like the smell of a good fruit salad. Some hops can be detected in the backround.

Mouthfeel/Taste: I would say this beer is on the heavier side and call it full bodied. Well balanced and smooth. Up front you have the heavy bitterness that is decieving from the sweet smell. It finishes off with a nice bitter sweet taste, and maybe some carmel and toasted malts?

Overall: It was decent Double IPA, I certainly will revisit this brew again

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 17:05:24 | More by Cavanaghty