Portsmouth Clusters Last Stand - Portsmouth Brewery

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - This IPA pours a reddish brown ruddy color, it is a hazy beer. It creates a thin tan head with good legs.

S - Wow! Big on the hops, didn't exptect this much of a hop bomb. Great floral and citrine hops pounce.

T - The bombness of the hops continues. Sour/bitter grapefruit elements step forward and proclaim this hop profile inthe name of citrus. But at the end, some floral notes come out. Its a great taste.

M&D&O - hop heads rejoice, and trade for this beer. Portsmouth continues to impress

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 15:12:29 | More by sinstaineddemon

smakawhat

Maryland

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass, purchased at the brewpub store.

A VERY exceptionally dark IPA, super dark brown red color, with very little chance of seeing through the body. Head is fluffy white about two to three fingers.

Nose is caramel sticky malt, a little bit of syrup sense. Mix of biscuit and floral/grass notes for hop angle. It's ok but seems more malt forward like an amber ale.

Biscuit/dought malt and large hop flavor, mixing with the sense of sticky malt hinted from the nose. Light caramel, larger hop profile bitter and good lingering dry aftertaste on the hop angle on the palate than hinted from the bouquet. Feels quite full bodied but not bringing the syrup sense which is a good thing, comes out not too wet not too thick which is nice.

Overall pretty interesting IPA. Sort of an amber hoppy ale it seems.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 18:38:06 | More by smakawhat

sethmeister

New Hampshire

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours from my growler a hazy reddish brown with a thin offwhite head which departs with alacrity.

Nose is citrus and floral with a touch of grapefruit and pine needles

Taste is tropical fruit, over-ripe pineapple, grapefruit and pine resin atop a sweet doughy malt base. A little fruity, a little spicy. Not intensely bitter. Nice dry finish.

Juicy / oily mouthfeel.

A subtle and well balanced IPA with a mild bitterness and a satisifying array of hop flavors.

Serving type: growler

08-11-2012 23:50:47 | More by sethmeister

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber bottle poured into a DFH signature glass. No bottle date but this was release in mid January at the brewpub (1/19/12).

A: Pours a hazy amber color. Darker than I was expecting for this IPA. About a half finger of soapy off white head that fades quickly. Good carbonation. Sticking lacing bits and lacing.

S: It's interesting. I thought I was gonna get blasted with hops, but I don't. I get sweet bready malts and some piney hops hidden behind that. With a swirl I get some over ripe peach hop notes. But overall earthy piney hops.

T: Well, the sip is better than the nose. I get assaulted with piney hops not the tip of the tongue. Spicy piney notes. Then as the sip moves to the mid mouth, it really coats the tongue. You get that malt sweetness. It's more hop forward then I initially expected. Crisp dry finish.

M: Medium bodied.

O: This is a very nice IPA after sipping on it a while. Initially I didn't think I as gonna get the hops I wanted but they were there. Solid B+ for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 01:16:53 | More by inlimbo77

Bendurgin

Maine

2.88/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass. Pours a hazy amber color with a finger of beige head. A little bit of sticky lace.

Floral hops aroma with an off aroma of yeasty sharp cheddar cheese. A little bit of crackery malts but it really seems to have an out of place aromas. A little bit of an herbal/floral hop flavor with some hints of doughy biscuit malts.

Medium body here with some sharp carbonation. Overall this one isn't bad to drink. Seems to have some off aromas, but in the end I can drink it and enjoy it. Tasty enough, but I'd pass in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 05:41:22 | More by Bendurgin

andrewinski1

Maine

3.35/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass. Thanks to Shane for hooking me up with this one! The color is dark orange/amber; relatively clear. There is a one inch off-white foamy head. Great head retention and lacing.

The aroma is full of flowery herbal hops and some sweet caramel malt. There are some ester-y aromas indicative of an ale.

The taste has some nice graham crackery malt with a nice herbal hop backbone. This is nicely balanced but not quite the hop forward hop bomb American IPA lovers might expect.

This is nicely carbonated, and has a medium body.

This drinks nicely, but shouldn't be an IPA. I like the malt flavor with the herbal hops. It's a nice balance.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 05:40:01 | More by andrewinski1

Aiptasia

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I'm now enjoying this rare collaboration beer courtesy of Portsmouth Brewing, Smuttynose brewing and Stone brewing, and the Growlin' At The Moon trade hookup from JoePais. Thanks Joe!

It pours a nice copper kettle color with a decent white head that fizzles fast. Not much lacing nor legs on the head, making it drinkable fast. Crystal clear and very attractive looking beer. It smells of caramel malts, orange, lime and honeysuckle on the nose. Taste is a balanced hops forward profile with only slight cluster bittering. Much more aroma and flavor from late hops additions or in the whirl. The balance is nice and even with the malts mellowing out the hops bite up front. Some warming on the back end and in the aftertaste. No off flavors at all. This is a great beer and almost impossible to pick apart.

Would love to drink this one as a Maibock substitute in the spring! And guess what, I can!!! Woot!

Serving type: growler

01-29-2012 18:32:50 | More by Aiptasia

lordofthewiens

Maine

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at The Brewery.

In an imperial pint glass the beer was a hazy dark amber color with a good inch of white head. There was a good deal of lace.

Pine and citrus hops, very fresh. A little bit of sweet malt.

Big hop taste of pine and grapefruit. Bready background.

This beer really rolled nicely around my mouth. Very resinous, nicely hopped.

I hope there's still some left when I return from vacation.

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2012 11:20:33 | More by lordofthewiens

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the source
Pour a slightly hazy reddish brown color with a fluffy off white head that displays moderate retention and lace. Smells of garlic with bits of pine and grapefruit with a hint of catty, some sweet bready malt buried deep underneath. Taste follows the aroma very well. Faint sweet bready malt with an onslaught of juicy hops piled up high. Medium body and level of carbonation with a slick resinous mouthfeel. I really enjoyed this beer, nice IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2012 00:02:48 | More by johnnnniee