Blue Point No Apologies Imperial IPA - Blue Point Brewing Company

FickleBeast

New Jersey

3.05/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Pours a sticky, hazy orange color with a finger of resinous foam. Aroma is full of crystal malt sweetness, toffee, caramel. Smells like a barleywine!

First sip is extremely sweet, cloying, with a moderately bitter finish. I pick up tropical fruit sweetness, pineapple, mango flavors as well. While I don't disagree with the 93 IBUs listed on the label, this beer is just far too sweet to be considered a good DIPA. I don't see a freshness date on the bottle, but it does say copyright 2012, so it can't be THAT old... It is stamped with a permanent graphic that says "Extremely Fresh".

I just can't tell if this beer is supposed to be like this, or if all the hop aroma and flavor has disappeared to age. It would score much higher from me if it was listed as a barleywine, because this is not the hop bomb I was craving when I popped the top.

I know this is called No Apologies, but Bluepoint should apologize for this under attenuated mess.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 02:18:24 | More by FickleBeast

Lucoli

New York

4/5  rDev +3.4%

05-21-2013 01:16:24 | More by Lucoli

ajtorres311

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

05-16-2013 18:13:12 | More by ajtorres311

inspektor

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

05-12-2013 22:13:33 | More by inspektor

-ronin-

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

05-11-2013 18:53:42 | More by -ronin-

brentblack1

New York

4/5  rDev +3.4%

05-10-2013 15:50:59 | More by brentblack1

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -16%

05-10-2013 14:59:37 | More by twenty5

discdueler

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

05-09-2013 00:49:07 | More by discdueler

mhbarber

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -16%

05-08-2013 22:02:26 | More by mhbarber

decadance

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%

05-03-2013 03:07:43 | More by decadance

willhans8

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

05-01-2013 01:09:41 | More by willhans8

TheConnMan

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%

04-20-2013 05:30:10 | More by TheConnMan

MikalMick

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.4%

04-20-2013 01:34:23 | More by MikalMick

JandJMD

Maryland

4/5  rDev +3.4%

04-14-2013 01:22:20 | More by JandJMD

PeteRiz

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +3.4%

04-14-2013 00:37:12 | More by PeteRiz

Mersh

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

04-13-2013 16:02:58 | More by Mersh

PorterPatrol

North Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

More Imperial than IPA, with 93 IBUs, I was surprised by the lack of hops on the palate and finish. Overall, well crafted, nice and bitter but little of the anticipated piney, citric or earthy overtones as seen in typical DIPAs at this hefty 10%abv. A strong American East Coast Imperial with a lingering dryness that leaves a craving for another swallow of golden goodness. Recommended but could use a bit more dry hopping for my preferences.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 04:35:30 | More by PorterPatrol

beernads

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.4%

04-10-2013 09:25:14 | More by beernads

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.86/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

We pour a brew of a robust sunset orange coloring. It holds a two finger head of eggshell colored foam. This retains excellently, leaving patterned lacing and a fatty aggregate of larger bubbles sitting atop the liquid. No haze or sediment is noted, and carbonation appears to be moderate. The aroma is sticky, hoppy, and sweet. Of the five advertised hop varietals, we detect floral, earthy, spicy, and bittered citric notes. The malts that balance are pale, but heartily brushed with toasted caramel. Filling the space in between is clovey spice, fusel booze, grassy raw herbs, iron, and an organic raw meatiness. With warmth comes black pepper, apricot, strawberry, light red apple sugars, phenolic plastics, and tangy yellow mustard. Our first impression is that the hops definitely take center stage, and mix with nice sweetness and thorough bitterness, but the ultimate blend is a bit muddled. As we sip, brown and metallic malts start things off, with raw plastics and chemically phenols, hugely bittering herbal and citric rind hoppiness, and raw grassiness. The peak comes with a wash of big booziness, pine, puckered soap, lighter metallics, and faint sweetness of caramel maltiness. The bittering onslaught of herbal and soapy hops continue, moving us to the finale, where they crash into lightly toasted pale malts, mineral, muddy grassiness, and booze, which gives a cherry cough syrup quality to the last drop. The aftertaste breathes of fiery ethanol, mineral, stone, chalky yeastiness, juicy citric, herbal, and earthy hops, garlic husk, dried grass, and bittering plastic phenols. The body is medium to full, and the carbonation is medium. There is nice slurp, smack, cream, froth, and pop to each sip. The palate is softly coated, with eventual astringent dryness following a massive pucker of biting booze and hop oiliness. The abv is full and subtly warming, and the beer sips nicely once you get used to it.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was the aroma. This aspect proved quite dynamic, with an initial classic clash between malts, hops, and booze giving way to a phenolic, spicy, herbal, and fruity change with warmth. The flavoring, as advertised, showcased bitterness, again, between the earthy and herbal hops, booze, and bright phenols. At times it actually tasted like you were sucking water off the roots of freshly plucked hop plant. At first it seems over the top, but once you figure out exactly what this beer is all about, you’ll be looking for another bottle to follow.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 02:11:32 | More by TheBrewo

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.4%

04-03-2013 19:25:08 | More by RedneckBeerz

superspak

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours slightly hazy golden amber color with a nice 2 finger dense off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of mango, pineapple, tangerine, apricot, orange zest, orange rind, floral, grass, pine, honey, light caramel, bread, and floral earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of hop notes; with a good malt balance that is not overwhelming. Taste of pineapple, orange zest, mango, tangerine, orange rind, floral, grass, pine, honey, caramel, bread, and floral earthiness. Fair amount of citrus bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, tropical fruits, citrus rind, floral, grass, light pine, honey, bread, light caramel, and floral earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice hop flavor complexity; with a nice malt balance that isn’t overwhelming; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a creamy, slick, and fairly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish; but still definitely a sipper. Overall this is a damn nice DIPA. Very nice hop complexity and balance with malt flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 04:01:43 | More by superspak

Tumble

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

03-31-2013 19:33:17 | More by Tumble

flyersfan900

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

03-30-2013 20:43:21 | More by flyersfan900

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%

03-29-2013 18:50:21 | More by Hopdaemon39

GFD400

New York

3.25/5  rDev -16%

03-26-2013 23:40:30 | More by GFD400