Warrior IPA - Left Hand Brewing Company

BayouBengal1537

Louisiana

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into Nonic Pint Glass. nice clear amber color with a huge thick rocky head. Nice layered lacing going along the glass. Smells of citrus hops, earthy hops, earthy malt, caramel. Taste pretty much like the smell. Nice floral notes show through. Mouthfeel is nice and smooth with medium carbonation. Good drinkability. Overall a pretty decent brew, and I enjoyed the complexity of the hop flavor

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 01:33:23 | More by BayouBengal1537

ackeeper

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

05-22-2013 02:45:34 | More by ackeeper

Showboat66

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%

05-20-2013 00:06:11 | More by Showboat66

bcuz7

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

05-19-2013 21:48:30 | More by bcuz7

SSEngelbrecht

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +4.7%

05-17-2013 19:01:01 | More by SSEngelbrecht

Zimm

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

05-15-2013 17:50:18 | More by Zimm

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

05-15-2013 16:11:59 | More by Slatetank

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.7%

05-12-2013 21:33:10 | More by twenty5

DarthGator

Tennessee

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

05-11-2013 19:54:12 | More by DarthGator

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

04-28-2013 22:07:05 | More by spycow

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.7%

04-25-2013 18:14:58 | More by Jason1337

irish01980

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

04-18-2013 17:13:49 | More by irish01980

josh23941

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The smell of the beer is amazing at first. Fresh hop aroma comes out of the bottle as soon as it's open as well as when it is poured. Pours well with a decent head that dissipates relatively quickly which is typical of an IPA. The beer was quite clear (not color but in terms of cloudy verses clear). The color is amber/brown with orange tones. The color seems atypical for an American IPA. The taste I expected from the smell was not what I experienced. The malt is overpowering and leaves almost no hop taste to be had. The beer drinks more like a bock and if this beer was in a different category I would have likely rated it better according to the style. There are some fruity, sweet notes from the heavy malt backbone that I personally don't believe have a place in an IPA. All in all it is a decent beer but is too heavy and malty to earn a high rating in the American IPA category. I am getting to the bottom of the pint at this point and if I had not seen the bottle and did not smell it at first pour I would never guess it was an IPA, all hop aroma's have disappeared and the smell is fruity/malty like a marzen or bock. Unfortunate, because their Milk Stout off a nitro tap is nothing short of fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 22:43:11 | More by josh23941

RandyBoBandy

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%

04-12-2013 03:30:44 | More by RandyBoBandy

buckyp

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

04-11-2013 21:27:01 | More by buckyp

gshackles

New York

4/5  rDev +4.7%

03-31-2013 04:54:28 | More by gshackles

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A clear and amber brew, with a white, slim head. The beer is extremely clear, and the aroma is a mix of pale malt and herbal/floral hops. The hops do have a freshness and 'spring' that is notable. Bitter and spicy. Semi dry. Firm mouthfeel, with a pleasing smoothness that comes out in the mid-taste. Decent brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 02:24:02 | More by Suds

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

"Alluring, complex and dangerous. She reveals herself and it's already too late. Warrior is brewed with fresh whole flower cascade hops from the western slope of colorado where high altitudes, hot days and cool mountain nights produce hops of great character. The hops are flown in fresh to our kettles within hours of being harvested. Citrus and pine notes aggressively attack in the aroma an flavor of this once a year brew. This warrior is ready to make a move. Are you?" Brewed in the style of an American IPA.

Poured from a 22 oz bottle to a tulip glass. Served above 56º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a substantial frothy head of a soft copper cream tone, retains above average and leaves behind consistent thin lacing. Body color is a solid amber orange tone with moderate carbonation and heavy sediment. It's a solid-looking fresh-hopped IPA. 3.75

(Smell) Aroma is attractively light. A mild pale caramel malt base with a touch of bread, some resiny and citrusy hop character pale in comparison with how forward they could have been, but manage a balance in the beer's character nonetheless. Potency is medium at best. 3.5

(Taste) The flavors share similarities with the aroma. Flavor is quite light in terms of hop presence, instead preferring a more malt-driven formula with moderate hop character tagging along. Bready malt character lies up front with an enjoyable wet hop finish- nothing too wild or sharp in the cascade hops, it's very straight-forward with just a touch of citrusy and resiny character and a moderate bitterness. A faint resiny bitterness on the finish pairs nicely with a touch of grainy malt character for a unique variation to an IPA. 3.75

(Mouthfeel) Like expected with most fresh-hopped ales, the texture is a bit thick and chewy with a very mild carbonation presence for a fuller-bodied mouthfeel. Body is medium for the style and medium overall. Alcohol presence is well hidden, concealed by the wet hop character. Nice mouthfeel. 4.5

(Overall) I'm always up for a good harvest ale. This one doesn't cross boundaries in any way but it is a well done example despite staying in the midst of the pack. Despite my initial impressions that Warrior hops were used in this beer, the label tells me otherwise. Warrior hops have a reputation of contributing well to bitterness but little to flavor, which would explain the limited hop flavor potency. I don't really consider them shortcomings, however, as this beer manages to be a very drinkable and enjoyable wet-hopped IPA. 3.75

Left Hand Brewing Company's
Warrior IPA
3.78/5.00

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 00:35:26 | More by Jadjunk

brheuer

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +4.7%

03-24-2013 16:20:46 | More by brheuer

kbrown

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

03-21-2013 23:16:16 | More by kbrown

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%

03-12-2013 19:25:21 | More by Zachtheporter

GFG

North Dakota

4/5  rDev +4.7%

03-03-2013 21:04:41 | More by GFG

match1112

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%

03-02-2013 19:40:24 | More by match1112

nikbullet

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%

03-02-2013 03:54:36 | More by nikbullet

baklo

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +4.7%

02-25-2013 00:02:05 | More by baklo