Drake's IPA - Drake's Brewing Co.

elNopalero

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this at a local coffee house. It’s always nice to have options!

Pours an amber tan in color with tight foam. Citrus aroma, dominated by grapefruit with some floral notes and a bit of grapefruit zest. The flavor has a pleasing bitterness, warming almost, full of grapefruit notes, freshly squeezed grapefruit, and just a touch of piney dryness. Nice finish. Really terrific IPA in a sea of tasty IPAs.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2013 06:58:53 | More by elNopalero

jethrodium

California

2.23/5  rDev -43.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap. Pours a clear, fairly light golden amber with a small white head that settles to a ring and leaves some light lacing on the glass. The aroma is pine, caramel, butter, and some light floral notes. The initial taste is pine and dank hops with some caramel. The finish has a bit of bitterness and lots of buttered popcorn. Much more diacetyl in the palate than the nose. Medium-heavy body. Medium carbonation. This was not very enjoyable. If there was any more diacetyl it would have been undrinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2012 05:22:33 | More by jethrodium

marikoangel

California

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint at Amsterdam SF

A: It pours a clear caramel orange color with some spotty lacing. There was not much head to it.

S: I get nice fruit citrus hops followed by a nice malty quality. There's also some other fruit notes hiding in there, like dried persimmons, bananas, maybe apple. sweet and a little candied.

T: It tastes like it smells. I get the dried persimmons and banana first though, with the citrus hops coming out large in the middle before mellowing out into a slightly sweet malty finish.

M: The mouthfeel is medium with lower carbonation and just slightly chewy. Heavier than I expected. Maybe the keg is getting low?

D: It's nicely drinkable and enjoyable enough. The dried fruit favors are interesting enough to capture my attention. It is a bit heavy though, so I would probably only drink one or two of these in a sitting. Overall its nice.

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2012 21:24:26 | More by marikoangel

Eriktheipaman

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a copper with two finger head.

The smell was sweet of citrus and slight piney hops.

The taste was pretty on par with the smell but with a little more citrus; grapefruit, orange, and a little lemon zest. A little malt on the back but not much and some caramel popping its head in as well.

A pretty standard west coast IPA. Being in San Diego I probably would choose something else instead though.

Serving type: on-tap

05-08-2011 23:26:51 | More by Eriktheipaman

beagle75

Iowa

3.73/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Draft pour into a shaker pint at Beachwood BBQ.

A: Clear, light amber color with one finger of fine white foam head. Moderate lacing remains on the glass.

S: Caramel and dark citrus fruit, with a hard mineral edge.

T: Begins off-dry, with dominant piney hop aromatics back-lit by crystal malt and moderate acidity. Bitterness surges into the middle, displaying the quality of grapefruit peel and significant astringency. Flavors dry out somewhat by the finish, where moderate bitterness persists with a quality that reminds of mildly-spiced chiles. A faint whiff of alcohol is occasionally detected toward the finish as well.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, slightly resinous on the palate, with low carbonation.

D: This beer has been re-cast as an American IPA (formerly listed as an English-style IPA) and the shift is entirely appropriate. In typical Drake's fashion, it is a fairly restrained attempt at a West-Coast IPA that misses the mark on account of astringency issues. Its nod to hop and malt balance results in an amber appearance and sensory qualities comparable to Ballast Point's Big Eye IPA. It is possible to understand why an old bottle with a faded hop presence would come across as a more malt-forward and traditional representative of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2011 07:43:15 | More by beagle75

LazyL

British Columbia (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I'm sitting in the Library Ale House in Santa Monica and I asked the server for a very nose forward IPA. May I introduce you to Drakes? A perfect bright flourescent orange, exactly what I want to see in an IPA with a white creamy head. The nose excells and may have been a 5 for me. Tangerine, mild pine and very fresh. The nose is invigorating and begs you to taste. Sweet malty and citrus up front balanced by a nice bitterness. Medium carbonation and a dryness that bites at my tongue a bit. I would say that this is quite a nice ale and worth trying should you have the opportunity or two.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2011 03:59:44 | More by LazyL

LBBeer

California

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a-straw-copper color and great lacing

s-big green hoppy nose, very fresh

t-bitter, bitter, bitter just how I like it!

m-starts out thick on the pallette, but finishes a bit thin

d-pretty heavy, buy smooth enough to have 2 (or 3)

Another great offering from one of my favorite west coast brewers,

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2011 04:05:45 | More by LBBeer

nataku00

California

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap poured into a nonic pint class. Bright clear orange with a finger of off white foamy head leaving some light lacing as it dissipates. Lots of active carbonation streaming from the bottom of the glass.

Nose is piney, hints of grapefruit bitterness. Fairly night aroma, despite some swirling of the glass.

Taste follows the nose, fresh pine needles and grapefruit bitterness hits your tongue and takes over. Light biscuit malts are there trying to play second fiddle to the pine as it finishes dry and long, lingering on the tongue with a slight floral note.

Light bodied and very carbonated, refreshing and easy to drink IPA. Decent option in case some of the other locals we have access to aren't available, but I wouldn't choose it over Racer 5 or Lagunitas's IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2011 01:59:26 | More by nataku00

WestValleyIPA

California

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle with no date into a Pinot Noir glass. This is really one of the best looking beers I've ever seen. Just pure fluff. 2 fingers of vanilla salt water taffy colored head. Just about the best retention I've seen in some time. Great lacing. Smells a bit like tea (hard to tell if it's old, due to the lack of dating, but my guess is, it is.) Some citrus and pine. Caramelish and chocolate malt smell coming through. Some rich nutty earthy malt coming through. Pine in my face. Nice bitter drying finish. Creamy crisp mouthfeel. Drinkable, but I don't think I'd wanna knock out more than 2 or so of these.

Edit: Every time I swirl this bad boy, I get some long lasting sea-foam head. I'm starting to think, reading the reviews that this isn't old, just a malt-freakin-bomb.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2010 06:16:28 | More by WestValleyIPA

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this a billion times at Ricky's in San Leandro. Usually hit up the Bistro for a festival, catch a ride over here and watch the fights w/ a few pints of this stuff.

Big orange pour, a little more dull than the "vibrant" orange stuff you might see. Good hoppy aroma, hops are the name of the game, seems to be ample dry hopping in a single. A lot of malt, this leans to the heavier side of single ipas. A good amount of bitterness, but never outweighs the hop mouthfeel.

Decent enough price.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2010 18:32:14 | More by Beerandraiderfan

kaseydad

California

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pint glass pour and I am met with an amber colored ale with a nice frothy head with staying power and nice lacing. Aroma consists of pine, citrus fruits, maltiness and some mild hoppy goodness. The taste is great! Truly what an IPA should taste like. Hoppy, slight grapefruit with sharpness and a crisp bite on the finish with a slight malty backbone. Very refreshing when drunk at a tad cooler than 50 degrees. Drinkability was high as I consumed two pints and was craving another.

Overall I am very impressed with this IPA. I tend to lean on Double IPA's as some of my favorites but this one is definitely high up there on the IPA list. Awesomely good and highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2010 04:20:05 | More by kaseydad

xhcadamx

Maine

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - lightish brown with hints of amber, off white head that settles to a thick ring around the beer. tight lacing.

S - floral, citrus, pine, resins, caramel

T - the resiny pine flavor dominates with a strong amount of bitterness and a caramel sweetness that finishes strong in the end.

M - thick and chewy not a lot of carbonation which i like for this kind of IPA

D - at 7% it's tasty but not an all nighter. Very tasty IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2009 03:43:58 | More by xhcadamx

MiScusi

California

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Lucky Baldwin's Delirium Cafe in Pasadena, CA. Golden in color with a nice fluffy cap. The smell is really floral, perfumy. The taste starts out with some sweet citrus and develops into a bitter earthy and floral type of hoppiness. It really lingers on that back half of the sip and hits you pretty hard on the palate. When fresh this is a really good hoppy IPA. The body was pretty light too, and had a good dryness to it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2008 21:31:08 | More by MiScusi

Maudite

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was a damn fine beer. Especially to drink while shopping for homebrew supplies at Oakbarrel Winecraft in Berkeley, CA.

A- Beautiful golden orange; the color of a southwest sunset. A nice head, despite being in a plastic punch cup. Didn't last for too long, though a small halo stayed with me to the last. White, minimal lacing.

S- Right off the bat I got grapefruit. A small amount of pine, maybe a bit sappy/woodsy, lent from the hops. Smelled rather dense, like fresh cut timber, or an old growth forest, with definite citrus notes, to boot. Nothing beyond the wonderfully balanced hops.

T- Grapefruit, bitter citrus peel, a slight oakishness. Deliciously bitter on the tongue, wonderful hop-bite. Pale and crisp, small, small amount of burnt caramel, honey, very buried.

M- Tart, astringent, biting, tight. Really got in there and washed my mouth clean like a dry gin.

D- Maybe not a session beer, but then again, maybe? Very well balanced, very clean and refreshing; great body on this gal.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2008 02:02:51 | More by Maudite

SwillinBrew

California

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Hollingshead

A - a slight cloudy bronze apricot with a feinger of stucco white head. Let a nice lace.
S - Citrus rinds of orange and grapefruit with some floral hints.
T - A good dose of pine and citrus hit your palate and lead to a somewhat sweet bitterness. A little complex, very nicely done.

I prefer a bit more hop presence in my IPA's, but this one is good. Solid carbonation and good feel on the palate.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2005 07:34:51 | More by SwillinBrew

raynmoon

California

4.29/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I've completely overlooked this brewery and am glad I gave this one a try. After having a Hop Ottin from Anderson Valley, this one blows it away.

It has an almost perfect balance between bitterness and flavor. Every few sips you get a touch of alcohol, but that is just an imperfection. Still lots of flavor. Nothing unique, but keeps wanting to go back for me.

Love the mouthfeel.

Awesome beer. A little less full bodied than what would be desired, but still very overlooked. Deserves a better score.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 07:05:34 | More by raynmoon

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.66/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to Arbitrator for the bottle.

Appearance: Mostly clear light gold with some copper leanings. Head is bright-white and creamy. Drops to a super thin cap with a chunky collar. Some small bits and notches of lacing.

Smell: Grapefruit rind. Some juicy grapefruit flesh. Pine needle bitterness. A touch oily. Malts are lightly sweet with a mild bready component. Some orange. A bit of pithy bitterness with some spiciness. Pale and mildly toasted. Caramel malt sweetness. Pretty mellow, but good.

Taste: Pithy citrus. Orange and grapefruit. Mild bready malt backbone carries some caramel malt sweetness. Clean with an oily pine needle balance to the citrus. Not aggressive. Earthy and floral as it warms, but the citrus continues as the dominant flavor. Slightly spicy. Crystal malts keep the sweetness present but soft.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a moderate carbonation. Clean and crisp. Drinkable like yeah.

Overall: Better than Drake.

A solid west-coast IPA. No frills and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 02:11:21 | More by Goblinmunkey7

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Consumed 4/25/13

Cheers to magictacosinus for sending me a couple of these

Appearance: Pours mostly clear, slight chill haze, medium amber color - bright orange with some deep gold highlights when held up to the light - small, off-white head, fades to a nice little cap, nice retention - leaves some nice streaks of lacing

Smell: Nice range of hops - an interesting combination of citrus and pine - orange and grapefruit flesh, zest, and some pith - some dry and spicy pine - herbal and grassy notes - pale with a lot of caramel malts - some toasty and toffee notes

Taste: Juicy and bitter - juicy, bitter grapefruit flesh and pith - dry pine and some resin - spicy, herbal, and grassy notes - nice level of bitterness - somewhat unique malt profile, with some caramel and caramelized malts, toffee - nice level of sweetness thanks to crystal malts

Mouthfeel: Medium body, nice carbonation, smooth with a pithy, bitter aftertaste

Overall: I'm going going, back back, to Cali Cali

This screams West Coast. Aggressive, bitter, and hoppy. There is some balance here, though, with a rather unique malt profile. It's not the best IPA I've ever had, but I'm glad I had a chance to try it.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 05:25:38 | More by angrybabboon

Schoonerorlater

California

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

a- beautiful cooper red. BIG white foamy head. Plenty of lacing. You can spot that it's a classic interpretation of a West Coast IPA just from the way it looks alone.

s-piney and citrusy through and through, again the things we've come to expect from a WC IPA.

t-powerful yet balanced hop bomb! There's grapefruit, lemon, and pine in the front with a malt backbone on the back end. sensational.

m- fairly heavy and enjoyable. i wanted those flavors to stay on my palate for good!

o- a well crafted WC IPA. familiar yet not old hat. I mean this in the best possible way: when I tasted it, it felt like I've had it before. (Full disclosure- I am a huge wc hop head.) I look forward to my next Drake's!

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 02:12:31 | More by Schoonerorlater

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.84/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12oz Bottle from Bristol Farms Palm Springs CA for 3$

Appearance - Clear amber/copper with an average size fizzy beige coloured head. There is a high amount of carbonation showing and there is some decent lacing. The head lasted for around 4-5 minutes.

Smell - Hops, malts, caramel, apricots, pineapple

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel, malts, and hops. There is also some peach, resin, and pineapple. It ends with a malty yet fruity aftertaste with a hit of hop bitterness.

Overall – Kind of like a east coast meets west coast IPA. It reminds me a bit of a smuttynose finest kind to some extent mixed with a lagunitas IPA. My first beer from this brewer and very good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 00:31:36 | More by spinrsx

jesus808

California

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into an oversized wine glass, and the aroma was splendid. I had just tried 3 other Sam Adams IPA's, so it was nice to capture an aroma they had lacked. This one prepared me for the West Coast pop it was gonna have. And, it did. Not overly agressive, but it had a bite. Then, the sweet malt arrives in the background. That's what impressed me. The balance between the citrus grapefruit, tangerine, and piney hops with that dry malt on the back end. Very nice. Drakes is easily one of my favorite home town beers. Bravo San Leandro.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 05:37:05 | More by jesus808

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

One finger of head on a medium straw colored body.
An aroma of lemon and grapefruit, really nice.
The taste is lemon with a strong grapefruit balanced with a good malt backbone.
The texture is soft with moderate carbonation and medium body.
A solid and above average IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 07:30:25 | More by Fatehunter

Topher78

California

4.1/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured this into my glass and watched as the light amber colored liquid filled it. It poured a fingers worth of an off-white head that left great lacing. The aroma was of citrus, pineapple and mango. The taste centered more around the pineapple and citrus but had a good deal of sweetness that balanced the beer very well. Drakes IPA had a light bodied mouth feel and finished very dry.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 18:28:27 | More by Topher78

TheSixthRing

California

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a semi-hazy golden orange with a white, finger width head. Average retention. Lacing is spotty at best.

Smell - Aroma consists of citrus notes, while lesser notes of pine, pineapple, and caramel malt undertones come into play.

Taste - Starts with a strong caramel flavor, then big citrus hop notes come into play, hitting on orange, grapefruit and a touch of lemon. Moderate pine follows through near the finish, then fades with caramel malt sweetness and a touch of orange pith.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied with lively carbonation. Slick, goes down smooth and finishes a touch on the dry side.

Overall - This is an excellent IPA. Lots of hop character backed by a solid caramel malt backbone. I could drink this all night and not get tired of it.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 00:52:02 | More by TheSixthRing

magictacosinus

California

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass from a 12oz bottle.

Pours a very nice golden-amber IPA tinge, yet in this case, one that *nearly* resembles Pliny the Elder! There's a fantastic burst of carbonation, but eventually the bubbles become less thicker and plentiful in appearance. However, it retains a good, 2.5 finger head that slowly recedes, yet never really gives up no matter how warm it gets. Lacing sticks like thick webs all over the glass's edges, and giant bubbles remain around the ring at the top of the mini head. Fabulous!

There's an initial floral whiff that overpowers the aroma, only to then be replaced by fresh, zesty citrus notes (mainly on the orange side), as well as sweetened toffee malts. The herby smell is extremely typical of West Coast IPAs, only in this case, incredibly fresh in smell and crisp as hell. Not much honey or grapefruit aromas though, which is a nice change of style on these types of IPAs.

The first sip is very bittered and filled with intense, fresh floral notes, sweetened candy sugar, and more citrus notes than in the aroma (including grapefruit). The hops really shine here, and there's a slightly spicy yet mainly hemp/floral flavor that seems to overpower all the others. Not too many malts, but there is a yeasty astringency that immediately follows the bitterness. Very carbonated and thick, this has an immense syrupy feel. The spices seem to last on the tongue long after a first sip, and there's a slight alcohol flavor that follows, but overall everything seems pretty balanced, as far as IPAs go.

A very good California-style IPA, but definitely more for hop-heads rather casual IPA drinkers. It's not too strong, and the semi-high ABV does smoothen things out a bit, but the yeastiness and rather strong hop punch at the finish may not be for everyone. As an avid fan of IPAs, this is amazingly balanced for all the flavors it offers, and easy to drink. Will pick up some next time I see it, especially because it's local!

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 03:12:58 | More by magictacosinus