Warrior IPA - Left Hand Brewing Company

mentor

Colorado

4.65/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Just did a cellar inventory and found a bomber of this amid my selection of bottles. How the heck did it get in there? I donno, but an IPA certainly doesn't belong. Thank goodness my cellar is quite cool (especially over the winter months). This bottle is probably 6ish months old. Pours a one finger yellowed tan head over a cloudy dark peach colored liquid. Nice mini-cascading head. Also the head of fine bubbles clings and is slowly settling like a dusted moon landscape. Glorious.

Smells pine and lemons with an underlying malt sweet and light fruity esters. A hint of dry sawdust. Hops smells fresh and now I get some tangerine and maybe some orange. Tastes balanced hop flavor with malt and fruit. Hop bitter is less than I would expect from and IPA, but the mouthfeel is smooth and thick. Wonderful stuff. Hop flavor is orange and woody dry. Hop bitter is noticable and with a rising grassy co-ho that comes on stronger in the aftertaste to help create the very dry finish. Malt is a non-descript underlying sweet. I can't pick out any particular grains. A bit of soured caramel...which I think is a flavor my tastebuds find when there is some caramel malt character that's mixed with piney hops. Yeah, this next taste I looked for pine and discovered that it was actually quite strong. Fruit esters consist of peach syrup. But, remember, this beer is woody dry, so the peach flavor doesn't cling to the tongue in the same way as canned peach syrup does. Interestingly, the body is thick and smooth. Almost oatmeal stout smooth. Lucious in the mouth with moderate carbonation stinging the inner flat of my tongue. The lacing is quite nice. Also, the head on the second glass (poured from the remainder of the bomber) is fine and clingy of a consistency almost identical to that of Guiness. Really amazing. I'm very impressed. A delicious nightcap this evening. Multi-dimensional and well-balanced. Nice selection of piney and citrusy hops accompanied by an enjoyable malt sweet. Amazing looks (if the beer were clear I would have given 'appearance' a 5.0) and mouthfeel.

Edit: So sad this beer is gone. I would *really* like another.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2006 07:32:33 | More by mentor

rajendra82

Georgia

4.65/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The 22 oz. brown bomber held a beer that looked standard IPA amber, with some chill haze. The head was well proportioned at two fingers-thick, and receded to a craggy undulating for with a good deal of lace around the walls of the pint glass. The aroma was leafy green and pungent, but a little weak IMO. The perceived bitterness was about as high as I have ever run across. It clung to my teeth, made my cheeks contact, and singed my sinuses with vapors on the way down. This was fresh, catty, refreshing, and just undeniably hoppy. In other words exactly what an IPA is supposed to be, but what most brewers don’t brew. If you are not a true hophead, I am afraid you might fin this unbalanced, but to me it was un-put-downable. I am sure there was enough malt that they started out with to get this to a 6.6% ABV, but the hops never ever let a tinge of sweetness creep in. I drained my only bomber in about half an hour and the only thought lingering in the back of my mind was I need to stock up on this ASAP. If it wasn’t for the mild smell, this would kick Ruination from here to San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2006 03:38:45 | More by rajendra82

athensbeermaster

Georgia

4.65/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Wow! what a beatiful orange color with a large froffy head that is dense and creamy looking. Tiny little bubbles constantly moving slowly up the glass. The nose has fresh grapefriut mixed with a juicy fruit gum aroma. The mouthfeel is pleasant with a caramel and toffe malt back bone to support the sweet grassy,manderin orange flavor. The finish leaves a yeasty, fresh bread taste and a earthy dry finish. This Left Hand and Great Divide is the only fresh hop beer I've tried if you know of any other brands please contact me please!! Happy Holiday's !

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2006 17:39:01 | More by athensbeermaster

AlexJ

North Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Rich amber pour with a fluffy khaki head that lasts forever and laces generously.

Aroma is simply awesome! Cotton candy and bubblegum sweetness with grapefruit and citrus tang. There's also green fresh pine needles. Really one of the most incredible noses you will encounter. The fresh off the vine hops really come through.

Flavor is equally impressive. There's a fresh hop explosion of bubblegum, candied grapefruit, lemon peel, and sweet juicey oranges. Then a nice sticky pine flavor with pleasant bitterness. Plenty of chewy malt backbone to support the hops. Very fruity and complex, definately hoppy. I love this beer and would like to see more fresh hop ales.

Body is a tad bigger than medium, with a very slick, juicey mouthfeel. I can just imagine chewing on fresh Warrior hops while drinking this. Awesome drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2005 16:03:36 | More by AlexJ

SaCkErZ9

Florida

4.63/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass. Great presentation. Burnt orange in color with a dense, tight lipped head that is about two fingers in size. As the head goes down a little bit, I am able to squeeze about one and one half fingers or head above the glass. Looks amazing. Head takes its sweet little time falling down and still maintains a nice consistency and still pretty good in size. Tons and tons of lacing.

Aroma is magnificent fresh hops. Very piney and grapefruity. Smells just like a bag of pellet hops. Sweet yet tart and bitter aroma. Very fruity. Very nice malt backbone complements the hoppiness.

Not overwhelmingly hoppy; if you ask me it is almost perfect. Terrific hop bitterness of a floral kind with some sharp pine needles as well. Tastes like I would imagine the grass I just mowed to taste. Malt is again in check with the hops.

A great IPA. If the price werent so high, this may be a staple in my fridge. Is comparable, in my opinion, to almost any other IPA out there in the market.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2006 22:32:52 | More by SaCkErZ9

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Perfect amber gem in the glass with a few spots of carbonation streaming within the deep glow of color. Huge foamy capping of lightly stained yellow froth. Thick and creamy and quite lasting. Leaves some hugely thick shelves of lace across the glass. The perfect picture of what a great IPA should be.

Wiff in...mmm... highly citric with a moderate punch of floating lemony pith and peel. Semi resinous with a slight smokey pineyness and smells fresh as the day the hops were picked. Quite nice.

Taste is solid with a gleem of smoothness all through out the main stay of the beer, up until the finish. Starts well balanced with a rounded, simple malt backing of tender bready sweetness with a slight nudge to some toasted edgeyness. Quite clean and smooth upfront. Hops are well defined in a simple yet fairly complexing attitude of citrusy lemon and a squeezed in, high ended bitterness of hugely fresh and floral Warrior hop cone goodness. There must of been a bunch of the good Ol' yellow stuff in each of them cones cuz this just screamed that freshness that really makes for a fresh, clean, snappy, floral bite of bitterness. The dryness is good and doesn't get to brittle as it teeters back and forth between the floral and lemony pine. Nice!

Feel is smooth and clean, about medium if not a nudge above, especially as it gets into the finish. It tends to pick up a bit of gumption and complexity as it goes into the finish. The dryness is late and very acceptable to the palate as it turns the tongue to a fluff of lemon and high floral bittering dryness.

After having this numberous times over the last few weeks on-tap, and barely keeping my head straight afterwards. To be able to sit down with a bomber of this stuff is quite wonderful. Me likey this Warrior IPA. Left Hand continues to impress.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2007 01:04:04 | More by tavernjef

GClarkage

California

4.53/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

01-09-06- Purchased at Sun Devil Liquors in Mesa, AZ.

Presentation- 22oz bottle with no freshness information. Poured into a chalice type glass.

Appearance- Deep orange, almos amber in color. Looks about the same color of Pliny the Younger if that rings a bell. Nice 3/4 inch head and leaves wonderful patchy lace everywhere.

Smell- Hops resin and roasted and toasted malt. This is the way an IPA should smell. Tons of pine, grapefruit and sugary hops.

Taste- The very first thing I noticed was the nice roasted malty flavoring. Then the hops hit you...and boy do they hit you! Pine tree flavor, then fresh grapefruit flavor followed by bubble gum ice cream flavor. This all melds together to form a greatly balanced brew.

Mouthfeel- Bitter semi heavy mouthfeel, followed by a flavorful bitter aftertaste. Mid to lower mouthfeel.

Drinkability- One of the best wet hopped IPA's I have ever had. A bit steep in price, but the $5 for the bottle was worth it.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2006 19:28:25 | More by GClarkage

gbontrag

Colorado

4.53/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Gorgeous presentation. Huge meringue-like froth rises above an appealing amber ale. Smells very piney.
Ooh, that's truly hoppy: Grassy, fresh pine tips, fresh lemon zest on a malt glaze. Sweet and satisfying. This is great. Much floral and sprucey hop flavors without bitterness, and without numbing. Great hop essential flavors. The froth holds on and on.... As I quaf this pint the froth smiles away the day. Thick lace. God, that's satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2006 11:45:56 | More by gbontrag

OliasOfSunhillow

Colorado

4.53/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Over the course of a hot, pilsner- and weissebier-laden summer, I always forget how good Left Hand Warrior IPA always is. Then comes late fall and winter, and I again get to bask in the smoothness of this unique, finely crafted brew.

I'm not going to break it down by rating factor again (I have a couple previous reviews for that), but I will say that this year's batch (draft and bottle) is as good as ever. This might be a bit too subtle for the triple IPA crowd, but for me it's as good as it gets.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2008 00:59:45 | More by OliasOfSunhillow

ultralarry2006

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle. Leaves a rocky one finger head with very good retention and some very good lacing. Body is a coppery orange-ish sort of peach. Looks really good.

Smell - resin and caramel, toffee and pine. Very mouthwatering.

Taste - as indicated by the nose. Caramel and toffee washed through with piney resin. Some lemon and citrus in middle, and on the finish also.

Mouthfeel - very full, thick, almost chewy at times, very slick and oily ( oily in a good way) .

Drinkability - this is very rich and satisfying, and low enough in abv to make it rather sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2006 18:53:35 | More by ultralarry2006

HopsNPot

Nebraska

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance- it is a dark yellow orange-ish
smell- the hops burst out, along with notes of citrus.
Taste- wonderful tasty brew. the hops are perfect and the overall taste is very balanced.
Mouthfeel- hits strong with citrus flavors, maybe a lil coriander, and teh finish is beautifully bitter.
Drinkability- i could drink this all night, but i am a self proclaimed hophead, its not for people who dont like an emphasis on hops.

another great brew from left hand, one of my personal favorites, a must try for anyone that can get their hands on it.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 02:33:01 | More by HopsNPot

Cresant

Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +17%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured this 22oz. undated brown bottle into a nonic. Three fingers of head sat atop a clear, iced tea colored body. A clumpy cap of foam remained throughout. Sticky white lace coated the glass. Very nice appearance.

Smell was subtle and a little disappointing at first but this one opened up as it warmed. Piney, earthy and floral. Leafy organic aroma. Wet hay. Pleasant.

Taste was a nice mildly oily hops flavor without extreme bitterness. There was enough malt presence to prevent hops overload. Lip smacking bitterness with an oily bitter linger. Taste and smell improved as the beer warmed.

Mouthfeel was medium bodied and mild/medium carbonation. Overall it was very nice, high recommendation for hops lovers. Hops flavor not just bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2006 01:38:42 | More by Cresant

LeftyBWS

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz. brown bomber into a Sam Adams pint glass. The bottle says it's a "fresh-hopped ale."
A: Golden-orange-colored brew with a very thick layer of whitish bubbly head on top. The head settles kinda slowly, leaving a thin layer. A couple of rings of lacing down the glass. Little bit of carbonation visible.
S: Lovely citrus and floral hops, clean and fresh-smelling. Bit of caramel sweetness thrown in, too. Overall, very enticing.
T: Hops and malts intermingle throughout the taste. First, there's some oily and floral hops and some smooth malts, but not too sugary at all. The middle is citrusy and bitter, but smooth. The finish is tasty, hoppy yet smooth. Overall, great taste. Not too much of anything, and just the right hop flavors and amounts.
M: Crisp, lip-smacking hoppiness and smooth malts. Good stuff.
D: Really good. Enjoyed this bottle and could easily have more.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2008 06:21:02 | More by LeftyBWS

srobertson59

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber (Belmont Party Supply Dayton, OH) into a huge snifter (served at 50 degrees):

A - Dark amber/with honey orange highlights. A gentle pour produced a finger and a half of sticky off-white foam which receded rather quickly leaving a fair amount of lacing on the glass.

S - Sweet malts and bitter hops hit the nose in unison. A slight bit of citrus and pine mixes with the sweet malt.

T - The hops win out on the tongue! The malts sneak back in to tame the bitterness perfectly. Grassy notes of hops survive the sweet bready malts on the exhale leaving a crisp finish.

M - Medium body and maybe just a bit thin compared to the nose and tongue. Smooth carbonation tingles without biting.

D - A pleasant beer to sip. Alcohol provides just a slight warming. This could definitely be an "all day" beer.

I had to keep reminding myself that this is just an IPA. The aromas and tastes led me to believe that it was a DIPA, but the mouthfeel just wasn't viscous enough to trick me. This is a well balanced IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2008 00:12:43 | More by srobertson59

jjayjaye

New York

4.45/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear lighter amber color with a huge foamy off white head that resists fading and leaves a better than average amount of lacing, some 3D. The smell through the head is spiked with an aggressive grassy bitter grapefruit aroma. Hang in there and enjoy a slightly unbalance but welcomed sweet malt character. Visually lifeless after the pour, it is quite well carbonated and packed with a solid tingle from the hops. Full bodied, the mouth feel is a nice mix of tangy and creamy. Full flavored, the taste is packed with a hell of a good fresh hopped wake-up call. HELLO FOLKS this one is under-rated. I've experienced a number of "plain 'ole" "also ran" IPAs that have had far less character than this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2008 02:43:02 | More by jjayjaye

Shaw

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a lovely cooper color with a lot of sediment and a frothy, off-white head.

The smell is wonderfully hoppy. I love beers with a great hop aroma.

The taste is a good as the smell. It is sharply bitter, thanks to the large amount of hops used. It is very hoppy, far off-balancing the biscuit-like malt flavor. The hops are citric and crisp. The body is light and smooth. I don't think the ABV is very high; I'm not detecting any alcohol slickness in the body.

If you like bitter, hoppy beer, get some Warrior IPA with haste. This is one of the better hoppy beers I've had in a while.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2005 01:19:15 | More by Shaw

silver0rlead

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy golden orange with a nice tan head that leaves great lacing down the glass. The smell kicks it up a notch, exploding with fresh hops (citrus, pine, floral) , caramel sweetness, some phenols and some bread dough. The taste is also quite hoppy, with some giant fresh hops flavors coming out early (again citrus, pine resin and flora), as well as some caramel, toasted bread, phenols and a hint of alcohol. An extremely well constructed IPA, with mounds of fresh hop flavors. The mouthfeel is moderate, and drinkability is excellent for an IPA. Overall a kickass IPA, wasnt expecting the kick in the teeth i got from left hand.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2006 04:56:18 | More by silver0rlead

BeerSox

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber into pint glass.

Hazy honey amber color with a light tan thick and frothy head that holds very well. It eventually settles to a thick pillowy cap. Solid stacked lacing all the way down the glass.

Pine and grapefruit mainlines the aroma, along with a unique syrupy sweetness that seems uncommon in other beers of the style. Still, the sharp acidic characteristics of the hops pierce through the sweetness to let you know that this is adequately hopped.

A sweet and thick malty base gives way quickly to a spicy and sour hop presence that tortures the back of the tongue (in a sweet, loving and caring way). The hops taste lively and fresh as if they were dry-hopped in my pint glass. Medium bodied with good carbonation, and a smooth feel throughout. The finish is packed with lingering hops in the back center of the tongue. The malts never stand a chance.

On the higher side of the American IPA style, almost joining the higher ranks of the Double IPA. Still, the higher presence of a more bread-like malt flavor, medium alcohol, and hops that don't quite push the envelope of your tongue's bitterness threshold makes this a drinkable beer. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2007 23:59:59 | More by BeerSox

EnojysAnyBeer

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Beautiful example of an eye-catching IPA. Bright copper orange color with a very slight haze. The head is really the most impressive I have ever seen on an IPA.

S- Hops are bitter and potent but nothing like a Green Flash West Coast IPA. More like a Torpedo but not quite so harsh and soapy. Some aroma of grapefruit and pineapple. Malt is laid back and smooth bread/caramel aroma.

T- Very smooth and balanced with soft bitterness that's almost like a tart/sour feeling in the mouth. Malts come across with a medium-consistency bread/grainy feeling common to American craft brewers west of the Mississippi.

M- Clean without being watery and bubbly without stinging.

D- Certainly worth it to try this IPA. Top-notch.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2009 02:07:38 | More by EnojysAnyBeer

GilGarp

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The new label is much more attractive than the old one pictured. Red and black in color with the image of a ninja warrior (?) and black birds. Hard to explain but it's cool.

Served chilled from a bomber into a globe. Striking red color with excellent clarity. The thick white head settles slowly leaving lots of lace on the glass.

Aroma is very hoppy and has great tropical fruit notes to it.

Flavor is very good as well with superb balance and great hop flavor. Nice fruit and caramel flavors meld well together. Some earthy apple and pear, mild grass, and pine in there as well.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and perfectly carbonated. Nothing wrong here. Very drinkable and the bomber will be gone before the night is done.

Overall I'm very impressed with this beer. It's clearly underrated in my opinion. Just a thought but it might do better if it was labeled as an American amber/red.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2009 01:56:45 | More by GilGarp

HopNuggets

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured bomber into snifter.

A - Poured crystal clear amber as it was traveling from the mouth of the bottle to the snifter. Great color with a 1 finger head that dissipates very quickly to create a slight covering of light bubbles. Leave lacing down the side of the snifter, not much, but enough.

S - Orange and grapefruit citrus with some pine from the hops aswell along with caramel malt.

T - Taste is top notch for an IPA with orange and grapefruit standing out followed by the caramel malt to be completed with a nice bitterness, not overwhelming, but lets you know that it is in fact an IPA.

M - Amazing! It's not like a Double IPA that leaves a coating on all sides of your mouth, but a very light drinking nicely carbonated beer that I would enjoy having on a nice summer day.

D - Get me another one... that's all I gotta say.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2010 01:02:35 | More by HopNuggets

AlesALot

Tennessee

4.4/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz brown bottle. American Indian on the label, I guess it's a pun. No drink by, or bottling date that I can find.

Beer pours a nice rich orange color with great clarity. Thick froathy white head that stays aroundand sticks all over the glass.

Smells of tart tangerines with some alcohol evident. Nothing else to mention, maybe a little biscuit, but tangerine works for me. Not bad.

The taste is more tart still, more of a grapefruit ted citrus flavor. But the tangerine still comes through . Some malt tries to greet you at every sip, but lies down in the face of the heavy hopage. Very dry finish leaving my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth lending even more to the grapefruit flavor of the hops.

The bottle doesn't give an ABV, but I can tell by the thick heavy feel in my mouth that this is a high gravity beer. Very creamy and smooth the bubbles seem to have a hard time finding their way out. The carbonation is light to moderate, but enough to tingle. Not much alcohol warmth, but a little comes through in the dry finish.

I know I shouldn't, but I could guzzel this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2008 02:14:05 | More by AlesALot

blackjack000

Kansas

4.4/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber poured into goblet.

Appearance: A pretty and deep apricot. Very hazy and opaque, with an attractive light caramel head that clings nicely. The froth continues to cling to the very top of the glass until the very end. This really is a pretty IPA.

Smell: A good range of citrus and fresh cut oak and maple syrup.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Very strong grapefruit that lingers far after it's gone. There is a fresh twig flavor that sits in with the aftertaste. The malt comes in with just enough power to complement the citrus to ensure it isn't overbearing. A very vibrant taste that is still well-rounded enough to give it some depth. Mouthfeel is pretty spot on for the flavor--smooth enough to coat the tongue and linger, and with enough perky carbonation to really bring the hops to life.

This could be drank all night without ever losing its impression with every sip. This is a very decent IPA with some heft. The taste seems to be just a shade away from knocking on the Imperial IPAs' doors. However, the alcohol content is shy enough to not leave you too hazy.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2008 20:15:46 | More by blackjack000

Mitchster

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brewed with 2-row and crystal malts, hopped with Warrior and various Longmont, CO grown varieties.

60 IBU's, 6.8% ABV.

Pours out to a viscous deep caramel, forming a tall, rocky, soapy, and meringue beige head with superior retention and wonderful lacing. The head sticks to the edge of the glass, forming a crater where it melts in the middle. This is a wonderful looking brew, folks. Carbonation is mild to moderate, and the bubbles slowly attempt to work their way through the thick amber brew. Aroma is nice, but not as stingingly potent as I would expect...predominately fruity, then resinous hops with oily and leafy notes...no off aromas...orange-blossom honey and caramel in the mix. Mouthfeel is smooth and slick with a medium-dense body...not cloying. This stuff is tasty...large fresh hop profile nicely balanced by fresh sticky crystal malts with a touch of grain husk. Resinous, piney and lightly citric, but not over pungent or skunky. Bitterness is moderate and lingers through the dry finish into the aftertaste, seemingly forever hanging there with a touch of honey and toast. No appreciable off-flavors, and the alcohol is hidden well.

This is a very nice IPA...it's got plenty of hop spunk to keep the West Coaster's happy, and nice balance to keep the Midwesterner's happy. It also manages to be quite drinkable, and is somewhere between an IPA and a Double-IPA. I'd buy it again and would recommend it as one of the better IPA's out there.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2004 18:08:41 | More by Mitchster

Sephiroth

Indiana

4.38/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours an orange amber with a decent head. It smells of faint piney citrus hop resin.

The flavor is outstanding! So hoppy, and so not bitter. The hops are resiny like a IIPA, but not as acidic, not as overwhelming. Some grassiness appears as the beer warms. The mouthfeel is somewhat slick, and better than most other IPAs. Drinkability is good if you are a hophead.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2005 06:19:13 | More by Sephiroth