Cape Of Good Hope IPA - Yards Brewing Co.

ShemRahBoo

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: cloudy dark red/brown with a small but noticeable head. Head does not retain long.
S: some spicy hop notes with citrus rind, a little grass. Touch of alcohol on the nose as well.
T: Nice smooth bitterness. Hop flavor is evident but not powerful for a DIPA. A little spiciness and citrus notes. Finishes a little sweet and caramel like when the malts come through.
M: feels a little light and watery in the mouth. Good carbonation though balances the beer.
O: this is a unique DIPA that I'm glad I tried, however I'm not too sure i'll be reaching fro this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 21:51:29 | More by ShemRahBoo

SFLpunk

Vermont

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On draft at the Drafting Room. 2 ounce sample.

A medium golden orange with some thin white head that grips the glass. Nose is very perfumed and like frankensensce. Some dried citrus and cinnamon. Palate is pleasantly bitter with lush citrus and green leaves. Some caramel and vanilla. A suggestion of oak too. Very interesting and cool. Would love to try again.

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2011 18:31:21 | More by SFLpunk

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle poured into a tulip glass.

A: Hazy rustic copper with soft orange highlights in the light. A thin, small white head that dissipated rapidly and left a few thick bubbles around the edges. Touches of light lacing.

S: Medicinal Band-Aid and alcohol notes are overpowering the nose. Citrus rinds of grapefruit, orange and some lemon come through but the initial aromas blanket much of anything else. It's not very aromatic or enticing.

T: Again, grain alcohol notes with a medicinal quality are up front. Some herbals notes of lemon grass, along with hints of orange flesh, bready caramel malts, and bitter pink grapefruit. The hop bite is here although on the back end and into the finish.

M: Bubbly, prickly and medium-bodied. It's not as creamy as other beers within the style have; a quality which I've come to look for. Good but not great.

Honestly, this was a big miss for me from Yards. I don't know if I'm ever blown away by their beers but are generally good at hitting the style. This had way too much alcohol on the nose and taste, along with an odd medicinal quality I mentioned. I didn't finish the bottle, too much abuse on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 18:07:47 | More by ShanePB

MONKandTUCK

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A- Rich light Amber. Light's barley permeable. Obviously a very full-bodied beer. Missing some head retention

A- I smell hops, but it's hard to identify which. It's floral and a little citrusy. Simoce is dominating, but not to the point that it is clearly all that was used.

T - Hoppy. It's not coarse or unbalanced, but the hop flavor is all over the place. Nothing sweet or toasty, which is OK; IPAs can get too malty.

M - it's perfectly dry.

O - It's not the explosion of flavors I recall. Perhaps that's due to a change in the recipe, or even because I recently had an IPA before this. I wanted to give the beer a +1 because it's a rare offering from YARD's. While I'm a tad disappointed, I still recommend the beer (VERY CHILLED). I think more clarity in objective would be beneficial for the next batch brewed.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 21:47:29 | More by MONKandTUCK

metter98

New York

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is yellowish amber in color and has no visible carbonation. It poured with a thin but creamy white head that gradually died down and left a thick ring of bubbles on the surface around the edge of the glass and a good amount of bubbles in the center.
S: There are moderate aromas of citrus hops in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste is quite citrusy from the hops but only has some notes of bitterness because it is well balanced by the underlying malts, which also lend some hints of caramel and malty sweetness.
M: It feels medium-bodied, creamy and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is quite easy to drink because it is well balanced and hides the alcohol from the taste very well.

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2011 18:02:39 | More by metter98

tjkinate

Texas

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got this beer as an extra in a trade, glad I did!!!The Cape of Good Hope pours a deep orange, that is slightly cloudy, but still allows ample light to pass through. The pour created a beautiful, white frothy head that settled slowly and left an ample supply of lacing in its wake. The brew smelled of sweet candy with the addition of strong floral hops in the back drop. It tasted similar to the smell, except the sweetness came later and resonates long after you swallow. The beer was light, yet coated the mouth thoroughly. Overall, a wonderful and unique experience.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 22:29:21 | More by tjkinate

deapokid

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours an unfiltered, dark orange body with a 1/4 finger of lace that sticks and surrounds the rim of the glass like a halo. Carbonation is moderate, resembling a very bubbly iced-tea teeming with squeezed lemon pulp.

Smell is prominent and exceptionally delicious. Strong, fresh hop aromas are in the forefront, followed by buttery malt, citrus fruit and a touch of caramel sweetness. The hop scent leans towards the savory side, but it's balanced nicely by the fruity and sweet notes.

Opening is creamy with hints of orange zest, pepper and fresh dough. Back end was all about dry hop scratch and tingle, buoyed by a robust maltiness that provided a nice balance. As I sipped, I noticed that the hop strength subsided to the doughy malt, making for a very easy drinking DIPA. Personally, I think this would feel right at home grouped with England's style of IPA, especially since the malt resonates the most.

Mouth moves from smooth to dry and back again. It's not a particularly dense liquid and it does feel a bit thin somewhere in the middle of the tongue. Otherwise, this is a really nice effort from Yards, who avoided the status quo of bigger means better and made a lower ABV, more traditional IPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 20:31:35 | More by deapokid

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Burnished orange in color with a slightly hazy clarity. A smallish head is produced on a vigorous pour.

Very aromatic due to the double hopping, but not over welming. Fresh I'd say of earth and pine.
Sweet two row malts follow.

Taste is light, fresh and balanced what you might expect from a pale ale.
Malts are light sweet and lightly roasted.
Hops balance out the malts with very slight pine resin. Not overly hopped out like an IPA.

Fairly thick and smooth and slightly sticky on the throat.
There is a nice and soft alcohol warming at finish.

Style wise I don't know if this is an IPA a Dipa or just a pale ale. To me this is a pale ale and I will adjust accordingly.
This is a pretty good ale with good flavor nice aromatic and a slight alcohol warming.
This has fall written all over it.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 14:39:08 | More by micromaniac129

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint, bottled on 7/27/11

Pours a slightly cloudy burnished orange with a thick, frothy cap of foam. Great retention and thick rings of lace all over the glass.

The aroma has earthy undertones with tangerines and undercooked biscuits. A touch of spice and caramel as well.

Undercooked biscuits lay down a bed for tangerines and pine to take hold of the palate. Medium bitterness builds, along with some warming.

Smooth, creamy feel with a medium weight. Carbonation is perfect and there is a nice bitterness that lingers along with some warming.

I had to remind myself that this is an imperial pale ale and not an iipa. With that in mind, this is a fine beer. It has a good weight to it, moderate bitterness, smooth feel, and some nice tangerine/orange notes. The only detractor is the nose isn't overly inviting.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 18:02:54 | More by ColForbinBC

IronLover

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on July 27, 2011. Dirty copper orange in color iwth a yellow hue on the edges of the glass. Very murky and hazy. Poured with a short off-white head that reduced quickly but leaves sticky lacings on the glass. Maintains a healthy whtie frothy cap throughout. Citrus hop aroma, a bit subdued for a DIPA, sweet caramel malt and a definite warm, sweet boozy aroma. Aside from the noticabale alcohol, the aroma is more akin to a pale ale. Assertive carbonation with an oily feel. Floral and dark, ripe citrus flavors along with sweet caramel malt. Boozy flavor jumps in toward the end and intensifies at the finish.Finishes dry with a light bitter aftertaste. Generally, this lacks the hop character I've come to expect in a Imperial Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 03:18:16 | More by IronLover

Bendurgin

Maine

3.13/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Got a couple of these as extras from Centenial in a recent beer swap. Thanks homey! POured into a tulip. Pours a dark caramel color with a finger of creamy white head with sticky lace. Pretty good retention on this one.

Grassy hops are detected with a little bit of citrus but this one has a more noticable malt body than I would preffer in a double IPA. Bitter grassy hops are here but the pallet just doesn't seem to give the hop character I would hope from the style.

Medium body with a little soft carbonation. Overall a fair enough DIPA. It's drinkable with nothing offensive but it leaves me wanting a little more of a hop flavor.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 00:52:09 | More by Bendurgin

avaldivia

California

3.65/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received bottle as part of a trade with Centennial. Poured 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Hazy orange golden color with an inch thick head. Leaves really nice lacing.

S: Pine, citrus and a hint of alcohol. Some nice orange and lemon scents, even a little mango or peach. A little malt sweetness.

T: The hop bitterness is front and center. Nice and Butter, but lacking a bit of the other flavors I had smelled. The malt is nice on the finish.

M: Medium to thick bodied. Good carbonation.

O: Good. Not particularly special. Sort of an average DIPA. glad I was able to try it.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 20:49:31 | More by avaldivia

Chriscrundwell12

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A- Huge 3 finger head, dissipates slowly, nice carbonation, orange brown color, clear.
S- The aroma is pretty sweet, malt upfront, slight bitterness is present, peach, citrus, grapefruit, grassy floral hops.
T- The taste is similar to the nose, sweet earthy notes, grapefruit, citrus, malt, overall pretty balanced, alcohol level is well hidden.
M- Medium mouth feel, well carbonated, clean finish.
O- This beer is nothing special, but still enjoyable and pretty refreshing for a DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 04:18:47 | More by Chriscrundwell12

prg1976

Pennsylvania

2.68/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a hazy amber color. Fluffy white head dissipates fairly quickly with a good bit of lacing.

Smell is a touch of sweet caramel and some grassy hops. Not all that impressive.

Taste is slightly sweet, but dry. Citrus and grassy hops.

Thin body, a little watered-down tasting.

Disappointed in this one. It would be better at a lower abv so you wouldn't feel it as much if you had a few of them.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 00:19:32 | More by prg1976

andrewinski1

Maine

2.88/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Bendurgin for sending this my way. Poured into a tulip. There is a small white head atop a caramel colored body. There is a bit of haze.

I get a good dose of caramel and just a hint of grass and maybe some mint in the aroma.

the taste is bittersweet, with some good caramel flavor that finishes drier than it starts. There is a good balance of sweetness here (the minty finish helps), it's not cloying at all, but there isn't quite enough hop flavor for my liking.

This is medium bodied with average carbonation.

Not a terrible effort, but there are many more enjoyable offerings for hop-heads. This might appeal to some, however.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 04:08:06 | More by andrewinski1

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a cloudy copper with amber highlights. Yields an explosive fluffy, white head that dissipates slowly. Good frothy, webbed lacing and moderate carbonation.

N: Orange citrus, lemon, caramel and hints of pine.

T: Orange juice, lemon zest and candied caramel upfront. Caramel notes flow through while picking up hints of papaya and coconut. Finishes with lingering pine, citrus and caramel.

M: Medium bodied, smooth, tingly with carbonation and dry.

O: Nicely balanced between the caramel malts and American hops. Good citrus and pine notes with hints of tropical fruit. Alcohol is well hidden. Not as complex as I was hoping but surprisingly smooth and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2011 00:55:49 | More by justintcoons

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a pint glass. Bottled 7/27/11

Yards Cape Of Good Hope boasts a golden graham golden with some orange/bronze tints. A sturdy pour yielded a small white cap that dwindled, yet held it's ground. Small lines on the glass.

Smell is of the pale malt type and it's pretty pungent. Smells like an east coast IPA for sure. A small earthy scent/hay and no trace of the alcohol. Not terribly complex.

Alot of pale malt, biscuit flavor with some floral hops towards the end that are grassy. It does not come off like a DIPA, a impy pale ale indeed.

Almost at a medium build, Cape leaves a nice dryness on the mouth halfway through the bottle. The carb on this is low but keeps it in check. Not bitter from the hops, but they leave their mark in the aftertaste. A slight warmth from the alcohol on the way down.

Glad to find this one so fresh. Simple, and executed well for it's 'Imperial Pale Ale' category. Im good for two bottles just from the balance. Interested to try this on tap and cask in the future.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 04:02:23 | More by onix1agr

Wtbrooks

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I was really looking forward to this beer. Picked up a case on8/7/11
A- looks great. Slightly darker than I thought it would be.
S- piney at first with some citrus in the back
M-smooth good carbonation
T-good. More malt than I expected.
O-I love yards, maybe I was expecting to much with this but I wish there was a bit more hop to it. Still a very good beer though.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 04:44:41 | More by Wtbrooks

mooseo

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Hazy copper color with a decent one-inch creamy head. Head quickly dissipates, leaving scattered lacing along the sides of the glass.

S - Heavy caramel malts mixed with a hint of pine and citrus hops. Overall a pleasant, earthy aroma.

T - Sweet malt/caramel flavor at first, with a citrusy lemon character present throughout. Some bitterness and citrus notes in the finish. Hints of alcohol present in the finish as well - but for 8.3% ABV, this is to be expected. One of Yards strongest offerings and a welcome addition to their line. Very nice balance.

M - Medium bodied with a creamy, slightly syrupy feel. Very smooth with average carbonation. Goes down with ease.

D - I have to give it to Yards, this is an excellent brew. Even with the high ABV, this is an extremely drinkable and satisfying IIPA. I'm looking forward to finding this on tap in Philly somewhere.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 03:59:58 | More by mooseo

Agold

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

When I pour this beer the first thing I notice is the big aroma. Lots of good floral and citrus hops. Intresting and very pleasant hop combination. The appearance is a mildly cloudy deep orange with long lasting sticky tight head. The flavor does not have the same intense hoppyness as the aroma. It is well balanced with a nice mild caramel offsetting the hops. I have found that when it comes to American hops I prefer a bit of a drier crisper beer. Mouthfeel is nice. Good level of carbonation, but again, a bit too heavy for my tastes. Another great offering from yards.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 22:01:44 | More by Agold

mfunk9786

Pennsylvania

2.42/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Bottled on 7/27/2011. Very fresh and very inexpensive for a DIPA, $7.99 for a six pack!

Unfortunately, I don't really know what the deal is with this beer. It's an average-to-low quality English-style DIPA, sort of like a homebrew version of the similarly puzzling Sixpoint Bengali Tiger. Pours like the last glass of tea in the pitcher, copper and cloudy. Looks like a melted old penny. The smell begins the "hmmm?" reaction, delivering sort of a mint tea thing with a bit of sweetness. The flavor is a ton more tea, this time made musty with extremely earthy hops (no bitterness comes through over the tealeaf acidity). There is an awful sweet malt thing going on that leaves a nasty, thick aftertaste (think a low-rent 'craft' beer like one made by Sea Dog or whatever). One of the biggest disappointments imaginable considering the positive reviews here and the whole "imperial pale ale" claim. This beer is a thick, sweet, musty disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 02:14:59 | More by mfunk9786

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I hand this bad boy on a handpump at the Hulmeville Inn the way it should be.

Pours a hazy orange color with an intense thick white heading. Left very heavy soapy white ring's all the way down the glass.

Smell has a heavy floral, citrus hoppy aroma that invades the nose at first followed by a nice juicy aroma that pulls through to finish thing's off.

Taste is awesome. Very nice bitterness of hops hits you at first. A toasty biscuit taste barges in for a nice smooth middle then turns to a nice juicy finish.The bitter hoppiness lingeries a little bit but not an overkill.

Mouthfeel is very smooth and bitter. Medium bodied with and amazing sting on the tongue of hop. Very alive feeling on the palate.

This is an excellent beer one of the very best IIPA's I've ever had and very drinkable at 8.10% ABV.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-18-2009 17:14:03 | More by TheFightfan1

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On cask via handpump @ Resurrection Ale House (Philadelphia, PA) on 10/3/09. Served in a pint glass.

Review #1,000 for me.

Pours a slightly hazy copper, with a super smooth and creamy finger of slightly off-white head. This stays rich and thick from the cask pour, just splattering the sides of the glass with robust lace. The aroma is just loaded with hop character. Floral notes, pine, spice, and heavy tropical fruits. Bready sweet caramel gives the nose a sweet backing. This is just very sticky and hoppy in the nose. I like it!

The taste is a big hoppy mess (but in a good way) of pine resins, spice, and juicy citrus. Caramel malts do a really nice job here of reigning in the hops, while still allowing them to shine. Finishes with a lingering resinous mix of spice and tang, which just STICKS in the mouth. You definitely don't forget the hops afer each sip! Being on cask, the aggressiveness of the bitterness is smoothed out a little more than normal but I didn't mind. This just has a satisfying hoppy flavor profile to it. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with an extremely easy and bubbly creaminess to it. There is some beef to this in the mouth, but the cask conditioning smooths this out so much, you can barely make it out.

I don't have a lot of experience with the beers from Yards, but if this is the type of bold offerings that they are recently putting out, then I'm definitely going to have to keep an eye out for more when I'm in the Philly market. Nice stuff, and on cask to boot!

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-08-2009 12:28:32 | More by Kegatron

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On cask at the new Resurrection Ale House in Philadelphia, PA on 10/3/09.

A - Hazy deep amber/orange body with copper hues and more than a finger's width of frothy alabaster head that settled into a milky patch and deposited speckled froth reminiscent of raindrops around the glass.

S - Initial aroma suggests pine sap and syrupy malt. Nose isn't reeking of hops, like some DIPAs do, but there is still a nice dose of floral and perfumy notes in the mix, as well as a hint of citrus fruit. Pretty well-rounded hop bouquet overall.

T - Perfumy and spicy notes are first apparent in the initial flavor, followed by a slight citrusy character and a good bit of caramel malt and toffee notes. Nicely balanced overall. A touch of resin emerges in the backend, providing a bitter hop bite in the finish.

M - Medium bodied with a syrupy, sticky texture and soft cask mouthfeel, albeit a bit thin overall. Still pretty solid. Finishes with a quick hop bite that doesn't linger on the palate for too long.

D - Probably the best offering I've had from Yards to date, with the exception of Love Stout perhaps. This is a well-balanced brew, though it doesn't really scream DIPA. Still very good overall.

Serving type: cask

10-05-2009 19:36:14 | More by ffejherb

Gavage

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: cloudy orange in color with a 2" fluffy head. Some nice lace paints the glass.

Smell: caramel, floral hops, and some graepfruit are easy to pull from the glass.

Taste: big bready malt base with caramel, sweet red grapefruit, hints of alcohol, and a nicely balancing strong bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start, smooth and a bit dry at the finish. Aftertste is long as the flavors linger on the tongue.

Drinkability: this was a very good DIPA that went down rather quickly for me. I could easily have a few of these as long as someone else was driving me home.

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2009 17:39:17 | More by Gavage