India Pale Ale - Nøgne Ø - Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A very good IPA, grapefruit aroma and cascade and orange citrus taste and aftertaste. Softer and rounder taste than American counterpart even though American hops. Well carbonated. Freshly made in May. Only drawback was some brown yeasty sediment. Satisfying. Thanks Madsberg.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2005 02:17:11 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Glazed apricot with butterscotch borders. A vigorous pour produced a gargantuan head that is lightly toasted marshmallow in color. It's a great looking slab of foaminess that is beginning to coat the glass with all sorts of sudsy lace... that becomes nicely chunky on subsequent pours. What a wonderful look.

The nose isn't bad, but it is a disappointment. A quick glance at my Nogne reviews tells me that Pale Ale's aroma was less than special as well. Maybe they should dry-hop their hoppy beer. A whiff of toasted earthiness is combined with a less than bright citrus fruitiness from two of American's finest (Chinook and Cascade).

India Pale Ale doesn't fit my preferred IPA blueprint. There's too much flavor contribution from the malt (Maris Otter, Munich, wheat and caramel). Especially the second and fourth of those. In my considered opinion, Munich malt has no place in beer of this style.

The hops do what they can, but there just isn't enough good lupulin flavor to carry the day. There's certainly no shortage of hop bitterness (60 IBUs). I normally love the spicy, sprucy goodness of Chinook and the pungent grapefruit zestiness of Cascade. Too bad the final product isn't as impressive as the ingredients list. With no date on the label, it's impossible to know if advanced age is the culprit.

The body/mouthfeel is pretty much spot-on. It's medium to medium-full and is beautifully carbonated. With a more pleasing flavor profile, the next highest score might have been granted. I find it hard to *completely* separate flavor and mouthfeel in most cases.

I was all set for another incredible offering from Norway's best brewery. Unfortunately, India Pale Ale isn't anywhere near the magnificence of Nogne Imperial Stout and Porter. These guys do a wonderful job with American-style craft beer, but they need to tweak India Pale Ale here and there to get it up to speed.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2008 16:37:00 | More by BuckeyeNation

brentk56

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a massive head that leaves a ton of lace behind in both the pint glass and the bottle

Smell: A bit of pith, pine and cracker malt

Taste: Cracker malt flavors set the stage for the emergence of the pithy, piney hop elements that have a bit of an aspirin character that develops after the swallow

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderately high carbonation

Drinkability: Would love to try this fresh one day, but I think I would likely need to head to the source; as it is, the beer is just OK, though it is nicely balanced

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 17:03:50 | More by brentk56

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured an orangey color ale with a medium foamy head with average retention. Aroma of caramel malt and bitter hops is quite enjoyable. Taste was comprised of good balance mix between caramel malt and bitter slightly citrus hops. I thought this beer was well balance with a good malt base as with most of the offerings from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2007 20:04:58 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A nice hoppy beer that starts fruity and yeasty before finishing citrusy and bitter. Kind of a hybrid of what's best about American and English IPA's.

A very murky pour delivers a rusty color underneath a timid off-white foam. Moderate on retention and lacing. Though regressing, the head never completely fades, rather reduces to an intermitten sheet on the beer.

Malty rich and fruity the beer has a strong English start. Citrus, spice, and sweet breads add to the notion of part-American, part- English mix.

Bready and caramelly, the flavors start out heafty enough, but then the hop flavor takes moderate intensities into a fleeting malt and yeast flavor and into an increasing citrus bitterness. Still, the beer has classic fruity esters reminescent of English Pale Ales.

And, like many English Pales, the beer has a malty rich texture early that is only amplified by low carbonation and a moderately attenuated character, leaving the beer sweeter and heavier than most American IPA's.

This beer is an English IPA throughout, except for the obvious citrus hops (cascade). This makes me expect American IPA flavor in malt character as well as higher attenuation (cleaner), and less fruity esters. The dichotomy seems more conflicting than harmonious.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 05:18:31 | More by BEERchitect

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mmmm, Norwegian American IPA...gotta love it!

The ale disembarks the vessel with a stirring display of explosive citrus and pine flavor. But that's out of order...around here, we start with...
Appearance: cloudy, dark orange, nearly crimson, huge head, rocky, lacey off-white...looks great!

Aroma: brilliant Cascade essence! with Chinook as well. Hats off to comprehensive ingredient information on beer labels. For $6 a bottle, it's the least they could do.
Fresh, vibrant, juicy....bitterness, but not overbearing. Just right.

Taste: full bitterness, meet pity body, and creamy mouthfeel. A lot of hops at work here, flush with flavor. Plenty of malt going on, too, ...maris otter, munich, caramel, and, it comes as no surprise, wheat malts. So that's it, this is really a wheat IPA. It really comes through in the mouthfeel. Nice and gritty, then smooth, here comes the hops, but through it all it's full of character, uniqueness, and integrity.
As stated on the label, another example of the thoroughness of presentation, this would be excellent with barbeque, or smoked meat dishes. Smoked, though...? I think it would go well with anything.

Another winner from Nogne O, another fine "Product of Norway Ale."

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2007 09:47:35 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a hazy dark gold color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice citrus hop scent laid over a malt bill of Munich and caramel malts. The taste is decent. It has a crisp bitterness that resinates in the finish. The malt bill provides adequate character, although I'm not a huge fan of the caramel malts in the flavor. There is a slight earthiness to it as well. The mouthfeel is decent also. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate/good carbonation. This is a pretty good IPA, although I was expecting better from this usually top notch brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2009 20:54:35 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at a local beer bar served in a tiny snifter. Beer is amber and hazy with a wispy white head some lacing and moderate carbonation.

Aroma is citrus mildly and a little pine.

Beer is medium in body and has a moderately bitter / dry finish. The beer drinks well and has a mild sweetness at the front that carries through to the midpalate flavor of earth and pine. Overall a decent but regrettably average IPA. not a repeat.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2011 21:16:49 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, dark copper or burgundy color with a foamy, long-lasting, tan, two-finger head. It left sticky, thick rings of lace.

S - It smelled of roasted malt, some citrus and mild grassy notes.

T - It tasted of biscuity malt, rich caramel and a spicy/peppery hop kick.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale.

D - This is a very good IPA. Certainly a malt forward brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2009 02:34:26 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.91/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer is slightly hazy orange amber in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a two finger high off white head that only died down a bit and left lots of lacing down the sides of the glass. THe beer becomes very hazy and dark as you start pouring towards the end of the bottle.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of caramel malts in the nose along with some notes of pine resin hops.
T: The taste has flavors of caramel malts along with notes of citrus and pine resin hops. A light to moderate amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is a well-balanced IPA that has a good mix between the malts and hops. The overall taste seems to remind of some of the better beers in the Mikkeller single hop series of IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 01:32:33 | More by metter98

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.28/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an effervescent amber with 4+ fingers of really rocky cream colored head. Hazes some at the bottom of the bottle; very good head retention & above average lacing

S: Some citrussy hops & a touch of honey malt, plus some apricot

T: Intense grapefruitty hops & faint biscuitty malt up front. Some caramel & fruittyness (apricots & pear) fight through the hop blitz as this warms, plus piney & leafy hops. Finishes with leafy, piney & citrussy hops with some fruittyness & honey malt

MF: Chewy with soft carbonation, skews hoppy, but there is enough fruittyness & maltyness to balance this out properly. Some stickyness too

Drinks pretty easy; the intense hoppyness & price would prevent me from sessioning on this very nice Scandinavian AIPA

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2008 03:48:00 | More by russpowell

jwc215

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazed brownish amber with a huge foamy off-white head that leaves patches of lacing.

The smell is of citrus/pine with a sold caramel/toffee backing.

The taste, off-the-bat, is a bit confusing...not sure if the bitterness, which is more aspirin-like, even towards metallic, is supporting the strong caramel/toffee maltiness or vice-versa. I would say well-balanced, if they blended together better. The bitterness pulls through in the finish, though without much of the citrus/pine flavor (though with some) that I would expect with the Chinook and Cascade hops that were used. Despite the sweetness during the swallowing, it does finish dry and bitter. To its credit the malt backbone - a bit forward - has a nice taste with bitterness staving off the sweetness.

It has a creamy, medium body (or close enough to call it that) that is coating.

More like an English IPA with American hops (that add more bitterness than the typical fruitiness and pine (though some grapefruit and pine are there). The blend has worked very well in other styles I've had from this brewery. Here it works well enough. This one is very drinkable, despite abv (which is reasonably well-covered, though not quite deceptively so), and sharp bitterness in the finish. This is certainly interesting and worth checking out, as it's a clear English and American style IPA hybrid, just would have liked the flavors of the American hops to stand out a bit more, rather than doing little more than adding a suggestion of the flavor and more than enough dry bitterness. Very good, in the end, however - I do like the maltiness and bitter touch - but don't know that the price tag for this one is worth repeating with so many great examples of the style (though this is different.)

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2008 20:07:00 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle.

This beer pours a hazy medium golden amber hue, with two fingers of foamy, cushioned ecru head, which leaves some drooping tree branch lace around the glass as it slowly ebbs away.

It smells of grapefruit rind, musty tropical fruit, mild pine resin, dry bready caramel malt, and some further, sightly peppery hops. The taste delves more deeply into the tropical fruit realm - tart mango, overripe guava, blood orange - with a more familiar muted grapefruit/pine underpinning a steady caramel malt backbone.

The bubbles are decently integrated in their duty, the body a sturdy medium weight, and agreeably smooth. It finishes off-dry, but in that kick-ass Yankee IPA way - caramel/toffee/nougat sweetness, but well tempered by sassy, zingy multi-hued hops.

I find it still rather impressive that it's possible to replicate specific regional styles, around the world, with beer. A bang-on, big-ass, West Coast monster of an IPA, here (but from Norway), is the prime example of this axiom. Just sayin'.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 03:55:51 | More by biboergosum

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 500 mL bottle recently purchased at either Shawan or State Line. Because I can't remember which, I'll name 'em both.

A: The IPA pours with a brown-hued copper color. The base of the glass reveals more orange than the mouth of the glass. A two finger head coated the mouth with splotches of lace that are slowly drying.

S: Delicious tropical fruits define the scent, coating the nostrils with thick pineapple and orange notes.

T: My first sip was all foamy head. It revealed a sharp bitterness tempered by significant quantities of caramel malt. A sip of the liquid itself reinforces my initial impression that both flavors are amped up for the long haul. The hops are intensely bitter, poorly masking alcoholic heat. Bitter rind flavors, both orange and grapefruit, become more evident on further investigation. A prolonged sip adds more citrus fruit flavors without the rind. Big malts stand up relatively well, preventing things from going too far but they really aren't the focus here. The finish is the bitter hops, tart and sharp with a tendency to last.

M: The hops blast through the malts and do their damnedest to obliterate the taste buds.

D: The bitterness of the hops can scour the palate, so anything more than a bottle or two could have long-term repercussions. This is a serious IPA, worthy of respect.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2008 03:35:55 | More by akorsak

Wasatch

Utah

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice hazy golden orange color, very nice carbonation, nice two-finger foamy off-white head, lots of nice sticky lacing follows. The nose is slightly malty, nice big hops, some citrus/pines. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, very nice hop notes, with a nice touch of citrus and pines. Medium body, nice chewy/hoppy. Drinkable, this is another awesome brew from Nogne, do they do anything half-ass, NOT!

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2008 02:23:18 | More by Wasatch

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy amber orange color with some lighter golden orange hues when held to a light source with a thick frothy white head with good retention, slowly fading into a lasting ring. Sporadic spots of soapy lacing.

Floral citrus hop aroma with a nice caramel malt backbone, dry pine note as well as some sweet citrus peel, mostly orange peel and grapefruit.

Very crisp citrus hop flavor with hints of lemon and orange peel as well as some grapefruit. Very well balanced with a subtle caramel malt backbone with hints of biscuit and nut. Very quaffable with a creamy mouthfeel and a sweet dry mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 07:56:02 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.95/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Nice mild orange appearance, thin, .56" head on top of it, mostly white, but not pristine white, lacing was half assed, but nonetheless not a detraction, especially for an ipa. Aroma, uh, where's the hops? Another one of those just bitter aroma beers.

Taste, eh, decent, except there's not really anything discernable regarding hops beyond the bitterness, which is substantial. Above average malt bill, sticky at times. Caramel is probably there, but the high bitterness ratio to anything else obscures this a little bit. Mild sweetness. Over and over it bears repeating, where is the hop vegetal taste? All I get is copper pennies from this one.

It was neat they brought a few kegs to the Old Bridge Pub in Reno, but overall, the less hoppy stuff (stout) is where its at, the ipa's, I dunno, at best, they are average for this part of the country. I think its hard to ship an ipa halfway around the world and have it taste like its meant to in the 21st century.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2012 16:38:19 | More by Beerandraiderfan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Somehow on tap at Max's tonight. The beer pours an orange amber color with good head retention and lots of sticky lacing all around. The nose is very perfumy, with considerable bitter citrus, dry tea and beef bullion. Very intriguing. Flavors on the palate replicate the nose, with a long, bitter, dry finish. Pretty yummy actually. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and the alcohol is very well disguised. This is a very easy to drink and enjoy IPA, especially if you prefer IPA's with a minimal sweet malt presence.

Not that I'm at all surprised, but this is really a pretty good IPA. Well done.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2009 00:59:59 | More by johnmichaelsen

glid02

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Porter Beer Bar in Atlanta.

Pours an almost opaque orange-copper color with a one-finger cream-colored head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of bright floral and light citrus hops backed by smooth pale malt aromas. Also present are hints of pine that fade as the beer warms.

Tastes similar to how it smells, though not quite as complex. Mildly dry pale malt flavors and what seem like Maris Otter malt kick things off. Joining in shortly thereafter are light citrus and lighter pine hop flavors. The hop flavors gain more backbone midway through the sip with the addition of earthy and leafy hop flavors. The hops carry through to a solidly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall this was a very clean IPA with hints of mineral flavors that I've come to expect in Scandanavian IPA's. Worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2011 21:59:41 | More by glid02

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours with an effervescent and cracklingly large head of off-white, so much so that it feels obscenely overcarbonated. Body is a pleasantly hazed golden amber. The head fizzles out after a while, leaving a sudsy mesh about 2mm deep on the top of the glass. Some patchy lacing remains. That's about it. Looks decent enough, but I expect solid stylistic performance from Nøgne Ø.

Nose is piney and resiny, with a very strong biting sharpness. Some grapefruit characters come through as well, giving almost a bitterness to the nose itself. It's potent, but a little one dimensional, and it doesn't really capture the full range of flavours of a great IPA.

Taste is also something of a blunt instrument. Potent bitterness comes through on the start, with a mild biscuity character and a drying, grassy slightly astringent finish. Sweetness is limited to that biscuity character, and the weight feels rather light, meaning that the hops are just accentuated more. Disappointingly, while the hops are dominant, they're not particularly complex, so there's a disconnect between the truly great IPA flavours and the hop presence.

Overall, I have to admit I'm disappointed with this brew. Nøgne Ø do great things, and the IPA is a classic style for them to tackle. But this is unsubtle in places, and not nearly as full-flavoured as I would have expected, with one dominant character doing the brunt of the work, and doing it acceptably, but not admirably.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 06:43:47 | More by lacqueredmouse

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.58/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Having my first encounter with this fantastic beer, I found it again at the UTOBEER stall in the Borough Market nr. London Bridge. Batch 148, BB 13/05/08, so this is from the same batch as my last bottle. Great! Time to witness what 15 more months of ageing in the bottle can do to this already fantastic IPA~~ Served cool in a large Burgundy bulb wine glass.

A: dark reddish-orange in colour; the creamy beige head comes as frothy as well-aerated capuccino froth and settles slowly to a thin velvet on top of very gentle carbonation...
S: juicy caramel malts play the main theme, buttressed by a deeply fragrant+fruity hoppyness featuring Cascade's flowery scent, lychees and ripe white grapefruits, plus lots of other fruit-estery elements: longan-fruit tea, sweet red cherries, sweetened orange peels and some piney notes as well... the faintly sharp estery-yeasts and a mild flow of mead-like alc. stay underneath without being heavy, adding some depth and body to the forenote. Overall the nose is slightly sweeter, less complex and less thick than I could remember from my last bottle, maybe the hops have been softened... very attractive still.
T: soothingly effervescent upfront, quickly but quietly the piney as well as bitter-lychee hops expand on the palate, on top of a mild layer of bitter-sweet amber malts and marmalade... the mid-palate passes quickly to an incredible length and depth of more hop aroma (bitterness from lychee-fruit on skins and dried white-grapefruit peels), yeasts, and bitterness... with yeasts' mild bite and black tea-ish+black peppery soothingly tannic bitter aftertaste lingering forever... a proper, mild flow of warming alc. gradually creeps down the throat to round off the palate.
M&D: the mouthfeel remains mildly fizzy throughout, very refreshing for a 7.5%abv. IPA; the medium, rounded body is held up so well throughout the drink as well, never falling thin due to the subdued but consistent maltiness and vertical bitterness as a solid backbone... Compared with my previous note, it seems 15 more months of ageing has rendered a softer hoppyness and maltiness than my last bottle, and the overall palate is thus made drier and cleaner in a sense. The ever-lasting and elegant bitterness is exceptional, perhaps the strongest point of this older bottle. All in all, this is IMO an elegant yet highly approachable American IPA to savour.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2007 03:26:19 | More by wl0307

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Let's make a disclaimer right away: this was bottled May 2008 and I am drinking it, almost two and half years later, in September 2010. I have a strict rule of never reviewing beers that are past their prime but according to the brewery, I've still got two and a half years (May 2013) before I have to worry about that. So then, if the brewery has OKed the sale of their beer to this point (and beyond) let us go ahead and assess the beer...

An almost poke-a-dot pattern of suspended yeast muck up what might otherwise have been an inspiring, sunset-like appearance. The overall colour bears a lighter, more yellowish tone despite the fact that its core is densely shaded in orange-amber. Clarity is muffled but not entirely stamped out. Its head is an impressive specimen of soapy suds, a thick lather that wholly smothers the glass. (Note: the second pour obliterates the glass with gunk.)

The caramel-like sweetness of the malts still seems to have a long way to go before triumphing in this aroma; the budding greenness of the hops, its spice and its zest, appears slowly fading but assures us, quite convincingly, that it will be forever here to stay. And, pleasant though they are, malts be dammed! My nose has eyes for only one, and it's the hops (I probably could have picked a better expression there, right?)

But those hops won't keep the flavour score afloat... that ship obviously sank a long time ago. And with it, we can presume, was all the biscuity, toffee-laced maltiness and the spring and flare of zestful, fruity American hops. Alcohol walks the streets unabashedly. This tastes like a beer not deflated, not depleted but flat out defeated. Sorry Nogne, your concept of a 'best before' date is, shall we say, "ambitious"...

If not greedy. I understand it doesn't help that your beers can be several months old by the time they reach these here shores but, especially asking what's on the price tag, don't try to rectify that by printing an outlandish shelf life - just because you say it will last that long doesn't mean it will. Your Imperial Stout or Barleywine I can see, but not an IPA. And this clearly is not how their IPA should taste - that's the point!!!

If this site serves any purpose it's beer advocacy - not just for consumers, but for producers too. Nogne, if you're skilled enough to brew the beers in your portfolio then surely you have the brains to know that no IPA - let alone one shipped half way around the world - will survive in good standing for five years. I find it insulting that you'd deceive the people paying to try your beer with such selfish and undermining claims.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2010 01:45:21 | More by biegaman

dirtylou

Washington

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

on-tap, brasserie V scandanavian tasting

appearance: served in belgian chalice, crimson-copper body, light beige foam

smell: definite american IPA - pure cascade hops leave a grapefruit/tropical aroma, caramel malt

taste: creamy caramel malt hits first, followed by the tropical fruit hints of the cascade hops, juicy ruby red grapefruit, a little spicy, but in the end just a nice malt-drive IPA

mouthfeel: slick and oily, medium body

drinkability: good

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2010 02:51:25 | More by dirtylou

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I got this in a trade with russpowell. Thanks Russ!

Nice hazy orange gold colour with a good 2 finger head of foam. Some good lacing and the head retention is excellent.

The smell has notes of grapefruit, caramel, and a lot of fruitiness. I get pears and apricots. Nice inviting nose.

The taste is very strong in the hop department...grapefruit and grass mostly but the malt is there as well with lots of honey and some caramel and the fruit is just as noticeable in the taste as it was in the smell. Again, pears and apricots. Good medium body here and it finishes with some bitterness and it has a long lasting aftertaste.

This is a nice tasty example of the style that somehow manages to get the 2 fruit flavours in and it works. It's definitely not a session ale as I get some warming from the 7.5%abv but it *is* pretty easy drinking. Good stuff!

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2008 23:01:16 | More by Bitterbill

nickfl

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Two and a half fingers of off white head on a hazy, reddish-copper body. The head settles at a moderate pace and leaves nice lace.

S - Nice floral/ spicy hop aroma. Peppery with a nice caramel backbone.

T - Some bitterness and a whole lot of spicy hop flavor up front. Malt character comes in to balance in the middle with lots of caramel and just a hint of roast character that balances the herbal hops nicely. The finish is quite bitter with pronounced spicy hop characteristics and a bit of alcohol warmth.

M - Moderate body, moderate carbonation, and a bit of sweetness lingering in the finish.

D - This is a great, highly drinkable IPA. Nicely balanced with great hop character. Overall this one reminds me a great deal of Bell's Two hearted Ale, especially the spicy hop notes.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2008 04:19:03 | More by nickfl