City Steam Innocence Ale (IPA) - City Steam Brewery Café

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.96/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottled 2/14/13

Pours a nice large fizzy slightly fluffy head that rises up to the tip of the tulip glass, and fades back at a med pace for a bit, then slows to a crawl some nice retention, leaves some nice soapy lacing, a hazy sediment laden unfiltered bottle conditioned slight amber hue orange colored.

Nose is big and hoppy, nice citrus, light grapefruit and tropical fruit aromas, fairly fruity, despite more than 2 months old the hops are nice and fresh, and a faint amber malt underneath that, that start to get a bit of a candy amber malt aroma as it warms.

Taste starts with some sweet amber malts, not really caramel but a light candy flavor. Then into hops quickly, a big wave of Centennial/Cascade hops with spicy chewy hop character, a little leafy, with just a touch of grapefruit and citrus, and some bitterness at first. Tons of fluffy carbonation cuts through and keeps the hops from bombarding the tongue too much as the bitterness ramps quickly, but carbonation gets in the way a bit too much as well. The sweet malts attempt to balance but the hops run away with it. As it finishes it's semi dry but a little sticky, light amber malts disappear quickly as the hops get quite bitter, spicy and chewy mostly with a little leafy and touch of citrus lingering for quite some time.

Mouth is med bodied, lots of carbonation and perhaps a bit too much.

Overall not bad. A nice big dosing of Centennial hops I believe, or at least a Cascade varietal, with nice spicy chewy hop flavor, nice citrus grapefruit aroma, and even a little leafy, with quickly ramping bitterness. Decent malts as they attempt to balance but don't quite do so, still an enjoyable IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 20:41:47 | More by jlindros

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A- Poured from the 12oz bottle to a goblet. The body of the beer is orange in color with some haze to it but not that much. A foamy white head forms to about one finger in height with great retention. Nice coat of lacing all around the glass.

S- Really not the most fragrant of IPAs. Hard to get much out of the glass besides some orange citrus juice/zest and caramel malts backing that up.

T- The flavor profile of this IPA is mostly citrus forward with some bitter pine, resin like notes as well. Orange, lemon zest and grapefruit mostly come to mind. Providing balance is a light caramel sweetness and cracked grain hints.

MF- Moderately thick body with both a creamy and a bit of an oily feel. Carbonation is at a moderately high level but the creamy feel helps it to be nice and smooth. Bitterness in the finish is fairly high.

Enjoyable IPA with a good citrus zest and pine flavor for the most part.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 04:03:01 | More by cbutova

Burkbom23

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Honey color, little too agressive of a pour produced a huge slightly off white rocky head that stuck around most of the way down. Left heavy lacing all the way down the glass. Very good looking beer i could stare at all day. Aroma was equally impressive. Hops hit you right in the nose. Strong citrus smells, orange, and lemon. Smells very refreshing. The taste gives you a quick bready maltiness followed by the hops taking over the show mid way through. Pine tree and then lots of bitterness on the finish into the aftertaste. Some alcohol present but not too boozy. Medium body with littel carbination. A good balanced beer that is pretty enjoyable. Liked it more as it warmed up.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 02:56:48 | More by Burkbom23

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.81/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Grabbed a single in a mix a six.

Pours bright amber with light layer of white foam. Patchy top. Laces well. Caramel malty smell. Toffee too. Taste is a firm bitter hop - lots of pine like oils. Grapefruit too. Rich full mouthfeel, excellent flavor.

Good stuff coming to bottles from this Hartford brewer.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 17:29:43 | More by KTCamm

atr2605

New York

3.35/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-pours a copper/soft amber with an off white head with decent retention
S-bit of grapefruit and orange, fairly low aroma
T-lots of citrus bitterness up front followed by a strong malt backing but not overly sweet. Finishes with grapefruit bitterness
M-medium, feels a tad thick for my liking
O-not a bad brew, pretty solid ipa. Look forward to trying some more styles from this brewery

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 01:09:56 | More by atr2605

andylipp

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

“Born on date” of 7-31-2012, consumed on 9/29/12, poured into a Corsendonk tulip (my standard taster). The six-pack carton states an ABV of 7.5%.

A – Light copper with a white head that recedes quickly. Left some frothy lace on the glass as I sipped.

S – Malty sweetness, a hint of alcohol. Some resiny hoppiness in the nose, but not much. Is this one beyond its prime?

T – Sweet malty start with wave after wave of bitterness. A slightly piney, but very resinous bitter finish that really lasts. The sweetness lingers as well. Plenty bitter, but not a ton of hop flavor. But even with all that bitterness the malt really holds its own.

M – A bit sticky with medium to full-bodied mouthfeel. Appropriate carbonation.

O – Both my wife and I thought that the flavor profile was not unlike an aged barleywine, a la Bigfoot, just less boozy-and that’s not a bad thing. Still, I’ll wager that this one was more enjoyable 6 weeks ago. I’ll have no problem finishing the sixer, but I hope I have the opportunity to try a fresh one. At $13 for the six I was expecting more.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 21:35:30 | More by andylipp

otispdriftwood

New York

3.25/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

My wife who always tries to surprise me, picked this up at a local store on one of her hunting and gathering expeditions. Simply put, it's a typical East Coast IPA, not overly citrusy or piney in taste or aroma. It's easily drinkable at 7.5%, which is noted on the six-pack. Perhaps an earlier version was 6%, but not what I tried. Overall, it's just another average IPA, nothing special. I would like to try it on draft, but probably wouldn't purchase another six-pack, at least not at $11.99. There are plenty of other better beers at the same price or cheaper.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 20:49:26 | More by otispdriftwood

hmph

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Received in trade from Robtobfest, thanks for the multitude of great beers and look forward to more trades!

A - wow, while not looking flat it comes out the bottle with relatively no head whatsoever but eventually ends with a small stream of bubbles and a sliver of a head, burnt orange with some amber to yellow hues

S - reserved as much like the appearance but again not bad, slight thick citrus hop juice smell, and a gentle sweetness to it

T - malty sweetness upfront that easily transfers to a more resinous hop taste, ends on a quick bitter slide with some additional sweetness

O - Really good beer, it looks and smells deceptive, hell it even tastes deceptive, but it has a complex range of taste notes it hits throughout not only the glass but within a single sip as well, well done beer

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 01:44:36 | More by hmph

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-What an interesting pour. A dull, dimly-lit amber color. Very cloudy. Head is almost nonexistent directly after the pour but a cluster of fat bubbles rise from the upper quarter of the beer and birth a nice head…then the head dies off. Interesting lacing squiggles too.

S-Heavy citrus. I need to get better at recognizing my hop varietals because the nose of this beer is pungent with an all-too-familiar hop aroma. Lightly spicy clementine flesh hops. Grains and a caramel malt base. Juicy hops. I am quite interested.

T-Fresh and juicy and ripe with hoppiness. The hops stress citrus much more than any other fruit. Resinous pine sets in after the citrus. Hops are also a bit herbal. I truly enjoy the hop bouquet here. Malt is a secondary element here. There is some balance but the hops wield a coercive edge over the sweetness and I love it. Very interesting flavor. I have had IPAs like it before but it is oddly unique.

M-Exceptionally resinous for a non-imperial IPA. Carbonation is not intense but vibrating and consistent. Has the body of a DIPA. Full and round and enjoyable. Finishes with a bitter coating that lasts.

O/D-Seen this one all over the place. Love the label art. I wasn't' impressed by the $12 sixer price. But I went with it and I was very happy with the result. Its unique! I don't have the vernacular to truly explain why it is unique but its a gem. I really liked this beer. Its damn bitter too.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 21:56:48 | More by VelvetExtract

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

2.93/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - super clean crisp pecan brown color, with a half finger offrothy head that a careful pour prevents, and that fades to a ring in a minute or two, active small carbonation bubbles

S - sweetly hoppy, slightly citrine, some hoppy mustiness, rather nondescript, but crisp and
inviting

T - dry hoppy flavors of blended characteristics, typical pine, floral, or citrus don't stand out, slight mustiness persists, more of an earthy kind than a gross wet basement kind.

M&D - slightly bitter, without any malt sweetness to balance, uncomplex and unchallengeing, but enjoyable and easy to drink. On the sessionable side, a great BBQ beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 23:25:35 | More by sinstaineddemon

WhaleHopper

Connecticut

4.48/5  rDev +24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Rich mahogany coloring from draft at the flagship brewpub. Have seen in bottles but this is first taste. Doesn't resemble typical American IPA. Pronounced hop aroma and malt, and taste has a nice malty semi-sweet backbone to underscore the hops. Not overly bitter, but a nice balanced ale and unique offering for IPA style, which is too often becoming "How many unbalanced IBU's can we stuff into this glass?"

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2013 18:47:05 | More by WhaleHopper

PicoPapa

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Growler straight from the source. Pours a translucent brownish orange with no head. Almost no lacing. Aromas of sweet grapefruit, pine and citrus. The taste is more of the same. Sweet and bitter grapefruit along with pine and citrus. Some malt and caramel as well. Grapefruit at the end. Good amount of bitterness throughout. Lightly carbonated. This beer has a nice balance of bitter hops and citrus. I've had this beer a few times, bottled and at the brewpub, and I got to say it is best fresh from the brewpub. Overall, one of the best IPAs CT has to offer.

Serving type: growler

11-15-2012 03:13:54 | More by PicoPapa

Kendo

New York

3.9/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from the growler into a pint glass. Body is coppery-amber with a 1-finger white head. Leaves some decent lace on the side of the glass.

S: Not terribly strong in the nose - some grapefruity hops is about it.

T: Definitely a lot of bittering hops in this one. Some bready caramel malt for foundation, but then a big hit of hops - grapefruit, pine needles and lemon. Finishes with both a juiciness and a minerally bitterness, which is a neat trick. Heat felt on the way down and into the belly; I would've guessed this was about 7% ABV, maybe a hair under. BA says 6% but I see another reviewer said 6.6% - which seems right to me.

M: Call it medium in heft, carbonation is appropriate. Maybe a tad bit slick.

O: Solid IPA. Never heard of this brewery before today; a friend showed up with a growler and it's solid.

Serving type: growler

10-27-2012 21:41:21 | More by Kendo

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on-tap in a plain tumbler pint at City Steam Brewery Cafe in Hartford, Conn.

A: Beautiful clear, reddish-orange and amber in color with a thin, one-finger head of sparse, white carbonation. Lacing is minimal, but I can't get over how clean, clear and inviting this IPA looks.

S: Loads of citrusy, resinous and piney hops to go along with some toasted grains carrying toffee-like sweetness.

T: A quick hit of caramel and toffee-like malts up front, then a wallop of bitter, citrusy and herbal hops descend around mid-palate. This gives way to some more dextrose flavors before hitting a crescendo of sweet, piney and bitter, fresh-cut-grass like hops.

M: Medium-full bodied with very light carbonation on the palate but a steady, smooth drinkability despite the moderately high ABV.

O: A really nice, fresh tasting and clean American IPA. It doesn't have all the character in the IPA world, but it scores major points for its balanced, bitter approach, superb clarity and excellent drinkability at 6% ABV.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2012 23:29:35 | More by Gambrinus1184

NEhophead

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewpub on 01/18/2012.

Served in a tumbler.

Dark copper with a bit of sedimentary haze. Creamy white head with decent retention which leaves ringed lacing down the tumbler. The hop aromas and flavors are bright, oily, and pronounced; however, it also has a lemon solvent-like character that is borderline off-putting. Medium bodied; a bit slick, but it works with the hop profile. An interesting IPA with a few aroma and flavor flaws, but nothing too offensive if you're not drinking this as a session IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2012 20:41:05 | More by NEhophead

Durge

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reported this day at 6.6% ABV this cask treat shows a clear, medium copper color with a decent white cover, especially for a cask ale, and nice streaky lacing. The aroma is a solid grapefruit hop with a pleasant caramel bread balance. Nice. The flavor comes on with much the same, a clear grapefruit tang that's grounded with a sweet nutty malt idea. It's bready but largely about the hops, without being super bitter. A nice blend that is both mellow and bitter as well as a tad sweet. Really nice and highly drinkable. Unusually well carbonated with a smooth but crisp medium bodied feel, hard to believe it's a cask ale. Not highly complex just damn good, could drink these for a long time while enjoying my hop quota. Love it.

Serving type: cask

07-11-2010 03:34:17 | More by Durge

far333

Connecticut

3.68/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark amber color, with low carbonation and small head, as expected for a cask beer. I expected some aroma, but there was none really to speak of. Very nice round mouthfeel as the hops bitter hits the tongue. Hops is accented with fruit and flowery undertones, and then the bitter returns and lingers in the back. The hops flavoring is less than I expected for an IPA, but this is still a very enjoyable and drinkable beer.

Serving type: cask

05-13-2003 03:58:14 | More by far333