Samuel Adams Whitewater IPA - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Whitewater IPA opens with a strong lemon zest aroma from the hops, tinged with faint touches of mint, grapefruit rind, and pine. Bready notes rest just below, including floury baguette and toast crust, which when combined with the strong lemony hops, lend the brew a lemon bread overtone. Small peaks of mandarin orange and apricot add a bit of sugary complexity. As a whole, the nose bears a good sampling of aromas, but the heavy emphasis on lemon is slightly too reminiscent of hard lemonade, and creates a sense of imbalance.

On the tongue, the beer opens with a blast of lemon zest, joined quickly by pink grapefruit and grapefruit rind, both of which do help to somewhat contain the lemon. Shades of pine and mint from the hops are also present, and the overall hop flavors make up the larger portion of the beer’s flavor profile. Yeasty baguettes and toast crust are present, as are touches of orange and apricot, but these are only found deep beneath the citrusy hops. The beer does have a good bit of hop bitterness, which when combined with the lemon and grapefruit notes, makes the beverage seem more like a citrus spritzer than a beer—an experience not helped by the weak breads and sugars. The aftertaste is a continuation of the citrus spritzer experience, with some breads and sugars remaining, and lingers in lemon and grapefruit bitterness on the tongue for a good while. Mouthfeel is medium-light to medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, the beer is simply too heavily weighted towards citrus notes, and it’s difficult to drink it without being reminded of hard lemonade mixed with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. A greater sampling of fruit esters, as well as breads, would have helped balance things out.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 17:40:28 | More by jondeelee

tenacioustomato

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-23-2013 00:51:42 | More by tenacioustomato

CreightonSM

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

05-22-2013 02:44:28 | More by CreightonSM

Falcone

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-22-2013 02:14:33 | More by Falcone

Erice78

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-22-2013 01:53:02 | More by Erice78

cfitterer

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-21-2013 02:45:24 | More by cfitterer

touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

05-20-2013 14:20:58 | More by touchmeimsac

Slay40

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-20-2013 00:45:28 | More by Slay40

HiWire

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +20.1%

05-19-2013 06:55:50 | More by HiWire

bzach

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

05-18-2013 22:29:40 | More by bzach

jbarletto

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

05-18-2013 14:49:44 | More by jbarletto

SocalKicks

California

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-17-2013 12:11:58 | More by SocalKicks

jburd19

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

05-17-2013 01:44:25 | More by jburd19

JG-90

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a hazy golden-straw color with very heavy lacing and an extreme amount of floaters. Smells of yeast, piney hops, white bread, and citrusy hops. Complex smell that combines the amerianc IPA and belgium IPA but seems a little muted, though.

Tasts starts with piney hops, then lemon and orange, with a piney-bready-yeasty finish. Definitely taste the spices throughout as long with a hint of apricot. Not as much hop aroma or flavor as I would hope for though. Mouthfeel is light with moderate-heavy carbonation. A nice mix of Belguim & American IPA's, this is one of the better BBC beer i've tried so far.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 23:58:32 | More by JG-90

JoshFrierson86

Arkansas

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-16-2013 12:42:12 | More by JoshFrierson86

Zbeetleman

California

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

05-16-2013 03:09:41 | More by Zbeetleman

lucasj82

Indiana

3/5  rDev -15.3%

05-15-2013 01:48:48 | More by lucasj82

ZombiesAteMyDog

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-14-2013 16:42:31 | More by ZombiesAteMyDog

HinghamRick

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-13-2013 14:05:28 | More by HinghamRick

IPAFan521

Illinois

3/5  rDev -15.3%

05-13-2013 13:32:07 | More by IPAFan521

MRAnderson

Indiana

3/5  rDev -15.3%

05-12-2013 21:17:48 | More by MRAnderson

JamesStreet

Louisiana

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-12-2013 16:27:42 | More by JamesStreet

Jabartheljr

South Dakota

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-12-2013 02:11:36 | More by Jabartheljr

phishdaly

New York

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-10-2013 22:17:31 | More by phishdaly

eulerthegrape

California

2.75/5  rDev -22.3%

05-10-2013 15:48:19 | More by eulerthegrape