Falconer's IPA - Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

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

A - Drank this out of the bottle but looking at other reviews it has a hazy dark amber color with an orange tint. Lacing sticky head.
S - Smells of strong herbal and piney hops with a decent sweet balance.
T - Kind of aggressive bitterness for the first few sips, then it somehow grew on me and I enjoyed every sip afterward. The clash between herbal bittering hops and semi sweet cracker malts was very tasty.
M - Medium in body somewhat sticky with a crisp finish.

Overall far from my favorite IPA but this one won me over with drink ability considering I wanted a six pack after finishing my single. Well worth the mixed six price of 10 bucks for the pack. Give it a try it's better than I thought it would be.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 22:37:53 | More by DrDemento456

UCLABrewN84

California

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 11/5/12.

Pours a hazy orange with a foamy orange-tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, and earthy and floral hop aromas. Taste is much the same with floral and herbal hop flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some nice aromas and a surprisingly bitter hop presence in the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 01:18:17 | More by UCLABrewN84

smakawhat

Maryland

3.61/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a Dogfish Head Ale glass.

A creamy off tan color head, manages three fingers easily off the pour. Settles to a nice finger sized puck. Body is a real nice dark copper red amber, with very little carbonation at all to be seen.

Nose is incredibly malty sweet with no hop profile at all. Lots of doughy graham cracker malts and biscuity sweet softness. A faint hint of orange citrus is in the back, but very buried. Hardly hop forward.

Palate hits with a nice rich feel. Sweet malts are toned down from hinted on the nose, and give to some soft leafy grass bitter hop. Chewy body with a good dense malt backbone but light enough to let some of the bitterness come in. Hop profile is still quite burried, but it's a tolerable nice mix of grass, tea, and mild orange like citrus mostly on the finish.

Easily drinkable, but for an IPA it's not very hop centric, but an easy drinkable brew for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 03:06:45 | More by smakawhat

alex_hart

Oklahoma

4.18/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: Light amber, brown with minimal carbonation and little to no head.

Smell: This is my favorite part of the beer. Sweet flowers, citrus, hops, and maybe even a slight hint of candied cherry. Smell is absolutely wonderful

Taste: At first it was not quite what I was hoping for. More bitter than the smell let on, but still had the florals and citrus. As it has warmed, however, it has become more and more delicious. I have even found myself increasing the "taste" rating two times as I have been typing. Warms into a sweet, very slightly bitter, and candied citrus brew.

Mouthfeel: Lightly carbonated. Leaves the classic bitter twinge at the front of the tongue, in a good way, and leaves a thin, but pleasant, residue in the mouth upon the swallow.

Overall: This brew is a great, let me repeat, great, bang for the buck. At 7% abv and under $8 for a six pack, this is a great buy. Let it warm a bit before drinking and you will find a new go-to beer, imo. Great purchase.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 04:27:24 | More by alex_hart

secondtooth

Indiana

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clean amber, with a frothy tan head. Superlative lace.

Nose is grapefruit, pine, and lemon hops. Very nice.

Taste? Pleasantly hopped, with more of the citrus/grapefruit tones. I get a hint of bitterness at the finish. Not a hop bomb, but still pretty well enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 14:11:29 | More by secondtooth

tronester

Oklahoma

3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear amber with a thin creamy tan head. Aromas of sweet grain. Taste begins with some sweet treacle, then some spicy, herbal hops. The finish is slightly citrusy, but mostly grassy and earthy. Mouthfeel is good. Overall a decent beer, but there are better IPA's out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 23:25:11 | More by tronester

martinlauridsen

Denmark

4.21/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottled on November 20, 2012, so about 4 months have passed since, and this bottle has made it across the Atlantic to Denmark.

Appearance: Pours a chill hazed dark copper/amber color with almost non-existent head.

Aroma: Prominent aroma of sweet, red berries and caramelt malts. Also has an earthiness to it. This is so delicious you want four lungs to take a double sniff!

Taste: Very balanced malt and hop bitterness. Aftertaste is incredibly clean for an IPA. Depending on what you like, this is either good or bad. For me, it works very well.

Mouthfeel: Low on carbonation, but I feel that it is appropriate for style. Clean aftertaste and low to medium body.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 19:57:29 | More by martinlauridsen

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.56/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle. Copper with a slight off-white head. Decent retention with some sticky lacing. The aroma smells floral and dank with some ripe notes. This is punctuated with some sharper grapefruit and pine character, while some graininess sits along the back. The taste has a firm citric bitterness with herbal and ripe fruit flavors on the edges. Malts balance but have a bit too much of a grainy push going on with them. Bitterness and pine on the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a carbonation that blows up a little too much in the mouth at times. A bit of light warmth sits underneath as well. This wasn’t bad, being a decent showcase for what Falconer’s Flight can do, but like most of these Rotator Series, this just left me wanting more in the end.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 19:28:57 | More by Kegatron

zeff80

Missouri

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, golden amber color with a one-finger, khaki colored head of foam. It left some sudsy rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled grassy and piney with some toasty notes.

T - It tasted very toasty with some sweet citrusy flavors. Nice piney bitterness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a good IPA. I like the Rotator series from Widmer Bros.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 04:07:53 | More by zeff80

augustgarage

California

4.1/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass. Bottled October 24th, 2012.

Nearly clear safety orange with tangerine highlights and a fat finger of off-white foam up top. Thick even soapy lacing, good retention.

Faintly floral aroma suggesting orange blossom and a hint of lavender. Gentle biscuity backbone from the malt as well...

Moderately bitter throughout and full of hop flavor - bright citrus and mango flavors pulsate at the high points along a wave of earthy/spicy/pine-infused/faintly catty NW-hop tastes. Some grapefruit, pineapple, and passion-fruit peak out from time to time as well - the former growing stronger in the finish. Quite a blend! The straight forward clean malt provides a pleasing though delicate contrast, mainly serving as a well crafted canvas for the hops to paint themselves across. Finishes fairly dry, though the fruit continues to evolve for quite some time. Malt (two-row and a touch of crystal?) actually becomes slightly more prominent as the ale warms, further emphasizing the NW origin.

Creamy, medium-light bodied with a bite.

A nice show-case for the Falconer's Flight pellet hop blend (Citra, Simcoe, and tons of NW varieties from what I hear)...though mainly this makes me want to pick up some super-fresh to toss into a home-brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 22:18:06 | More by augustgarage

mpedara429

Massachusetts

3.29/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A: A deep amber color that is crystal clear. One finger of white head with low retention.

S: Grapefruit and pine. The smell didn't knock my socks off.

T: Tastes like fresh grapefruit flesh with a hint of pine. Earthy flavor as you let it sit in your mouth for an extra second. Nice bitterness and just enough malt for balance.

M: Body is a little light for an IPA, and the carbonation is on the higher side. Mouthfeel is a touch oily.

O: A solid, but not mind blowing IPA. Better than your average for the budget variety IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 23:45:36 | More by mpedara429

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured a finger of head on a cloudy, medium straw colored body.
The aroma has a little floral element with a stronger lemon and grapefruit. Nice.
The taste is a nice moderate bitterness, mostly lemon and pine. The malt backbone holds it together.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation and medium body.
Here's a solid IPA you can't go wrong with.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 04:54:49 | More by Fatehunter

Bockrules

New Mexico

4.05/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

poured from the bottle into a pint glass

A - Pours a slightly hazy dark copper with plenty of carbonation rising to the creamy, off-white, 2-finger head. Head stays intact all the way down the glass. Leaves behind several thick, parallel rings of lacing to form almost a wall.

S -Nice nose of piny and citrus hops on a caramel malt background. Diminished significantly while in the glass.

T - Caramel malt upfront. The body is a solid balance of grapefruit and piney hops on a firm caramel malt backbone. More citrus notes come through as the beer passes over the back of the tongue with passion flavors joining. The finish is a mixture of pine resin and citrus fruits.

M - Medium bodied with a fair amount carbonation and chewiness. Quite good for the style.

Falconer's IPA is my favorite rotator IPA I have tried yet and finally makes the leap from a very good beer to an excellent one. The flavors are straight ahead classic IPA with no gimmicks or surprises, but everything is well balanced and aided by a substantially chewy mouthfeel. The relatively high ABV and $6.50 a six price here in Socorro are just icing on the cake. I wish I had bought a couple more sixes of this while it was around (I think it was this past August (?)).

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 05:33:43 | More by Bockrules

TheMarkE

California

3.74/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Nice, solid hoppiness without being overly bitter. Fairly complex with some exotic fruit flavors in the background. I was only familiar with Widmer for their solid wheat beers, but it looks like they do a good job with IPAs too.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 00:21:04 | More by TheMarkE

chickenflea

Florida

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Beer pours a bright copper color, slightly cloudy and a small foamy head. Aroma is right on: caramel malts with apricot, vanilla and bread. A wonderful sticky mouth-feel - lots of body. Moderate carbonation. Sweet like an imperial. Hops like grapefruit. Very bitter finish. This is a bid IPA. Very satisfying. Everything one looks for in an IPA is here. Might be the best Widmer brew I have tried to date.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 22:24:39 | More by chickenflea

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A medium to big off white head rest above a clear above a clear bright copper colored beer that has a ring of haze about 3/4 inch below the head.

A big citrus, piney, floral hops aroma, makes me happy I poured this from above the glass a bit to give it a bigger head and release more of the hops characteristics in the aroma.

Citrus and floral hops with some pine coming through, not as bold as the aroma, and just enough to give this a dryish lightly bitter hops taste.

A dryish aftertaste with some bitterness and hops taste lasting on with this medium bodied IPA.

As this beer sits the aroma pretty much dies off, I suggest pouring it big to release the big hops aromas hiding within. The first half of the glass seemed to taste better because of the big release of aroma, just saying.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 22:22:21 | More by LXIXME

1234Jack

4.33/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Smell out of the bottle is lemony hops, with grass and pine.

Color is nice - a vibrant brownish-orange.

A little head forms on its own, even when poured gently.

Smell out of glass is of straight oranges, with a little sweet tinge. Pleasant...

First taste is hops, of course, with a touch of sweetness. Orange notes.

Second taste bring bitterness noted at roof of mouth.

Feel is smooth and frothy.

Lacing is persistent and holds even from the top of the glass as you drink it down.

Bitterness does not overpower in the aftertaste or as you drink into the beer.

Nice American IPA, for sure.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 09:24:15 | More by 1234Jack

N3rdM3t4l

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle into a standard pint glass.

A: agressive pour gets 2 full fingers of frothy thick eggshell colored head. As it falls it is leaving a thick rocky cap and sheets of lacing on the glass. Clear and almost orange looking brew. Good deal of caramel malt in the bill it seems. The head makes this look delicious.

S: big citrusy hops, notes of orange and lemon. A bit sweet smelling.

T: more citrus! The bitter mixed with citrus makes it taste of white grapefruit. Balanced out nicely and then big hop flavor. A touch of herbal flavor from long boil hops. Leave that pretty

M: solid medium body when cold. Smooth drinking.

O: not bad, Widmers Rotator IPAs are pretty good. Yet to be really let down by one, even though I am not a big IPA fan.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 05:44:37 | More by N3rdM3t4l

mckenziac

4.28/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Samuel Adams Boston Lager glass. Taken from a Widmer Bros. variety pack.

Appearance: Pours a clear, amber-brown color. Has a large, frothy head that dissipates quickly and leaves some decent lacing.

Smell: Smells strongly of nice hoppy aromas. Citrus, grapefruit, and even a little bit of peach come out nicely in the aroma. Has a sweet, caramel malt smell as well.

Taste: Tastes moderately bitter (by IPA standards) with a strong caramel malt backbone. The hops have a crisp, citrus and grass flavor. Very nice.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a nice carbonation.

Overall: I was very pleasantly surprised by this IPA. It's definitely better than your average variety pack IPA. I haven't always been impressed by Widmer Bros., but the beers I've had from them recently might make me give them a second look.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 00:10:22 | More by mckenziac

tlazaroff

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The aroma was not what I was expecting for an IPA, it smells of caramel fairly heavily. I get no hops, it smells like a 60 shilling. Smells good, but not like it should. It's disappointing.

The beer looks beautiful. It's a deep orange that is clear as crystal with a nice off-white head that layers on the top and leaves very good lacing.

It may not have smelled like an IPA, but it sure tastes like one! Sharp bitterness right up front that lasts well through the finish. Very floral and somewhat grassy (in a good way). The finish brings a crisp candy-like sweetness like Jolly Ranchers. Moderate carbonation and a body to match, it's well balanced and overall not too bad.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 01:40:59 | More by tlazaroff

BucannonXC5

California

3.45/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12-oz. bottle into a pint glass at my house on Nov. 20, 2012 (purchased at Vons in Grantville (San Diego) for $13.99 (with card price) as part of a 12-pack on Nov. 20, 2012). Auburn caramel with three-to-four fingers of frothy white head that took a long while to dissipate. Good, wet and foamy retention on the sides all the way down (all the way!), nice layer on the top.

Smelled a sharp whiff of a kind of complex mixture of caramel malts and bitter citrus hops. The citrus hops seemed to be tangerine and orange mixed with grapefruit. Had that caramel malt backbone with toffee. Also some sweet floral hops as well.

Tasted similar to the nose. Got that mixture of malts (caramel, toffee, amberish) and bitter hops (tangerine and grapefruit). Not as much floral hops as the smell, but still there. Very bitter finish. LATE ADD: Seemed to get some butter in there as well.

Light-to-medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Abrupt, bitter finish.

I was hoping for more, but the Falconer IPA didn’t do it, which is rare for me with Widmer.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 04:20:50 | More by BucannonXC5

morimech

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear amber with a small head that quickly settled to a thin film. Moderate amount of sticky lacing is left down the glass.

Pleasant aroma that is quite floral. Also notes of tropical fruit and citrus. The malt gives it a slight caramel characteristic.

Nice malt profile that gives the IPA a bready and caramel flavor that is just slightly sweet. The hops may have faded a bit but still gives some nice tropical fruit flavor. Moderately bitter.

Medium body that is smooth feeling. Would like a tad bit more carbonation but it is a small nit.

I have found all of the Widmer Rotator IPAs quite enjoyable, this one is no exception even if it is past its prime.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 19:07:03 | More by morimech

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.85/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a golden amber color with a decent off white head that dissipates slowly to a cap. Smells of spice, pine, and citrus with a bready biscuit malt back bone. The flavor is sweet bready malt with a nice hit of resinous and grapefruit hop flavor with a solid shot of hop bite. Medium body with a light to moderate level of carbonation and a sweet resinous slick mouthfeel. Not a bad IPA and better than I expected from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 01:33:45 | More by johnnnniee

Nugganooch

California

3.83/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz. bottle to standard pint glass
Bottled Aug – 2012

A: The Flaconers IPA pours a light caramel amber color with some haziness to it and a good half finger of khaki tan head. There is some ample hang time and a bit of wavy cling down the glass.

S: Smells of gooseberry, melon, peach, and some lemon zest. Hops are pungent with a bit pine and some catty musk. I get undercurrents of some caramelized malt sugars and a warm breadiness. Real pleasant and unexpected hop aromas here.

T: Tastes pop with some real hoppy goodness. More gooseberry. The Citra really delivers out of the Falconer’s blend. Melon, pine, citrus fruits, and a touch of some exotic flora. There is a dash of caramel sweetness and a bit of bready malt base to carry an upper level of bitterness. Has a nice puckering bite. Alcohol is well masked with just a slight warming sensation added. A very nice surprise.

M: There a relatively light to moderate feel with a somewhat creamy texture. Nice bitter bite and crisp factor from the carbonation. Finishes on the wet side.

D: This was surprisingly good for the deal you get out of purchasing a case. Very drinkable with a great hoppy punch and some nice fruity flavors.
Felt like drinking a subpar Sculpin…which is still quite good. Would definitely pick up again.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 19:45:28 | More by Nugganooch

barczar

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a brilliant copper color with a solid one inch eggy head that slowly dissipates, leaving sheets of lacing.

Caramel malt aroma mingles with grapefruit pith, earthy hops (smells like peas), dankness, and a bready chewiness. Pretty sure it's dry hopped with amarillo.

Flavor is less characterful, with bittering hops taking center stage, and a lackluster showing from citrus flavoring hops. There's a hint of grapefruit and pine, along with some resinous hop character to provide intrigue to the bready malt backbone. The finish is fairly peppery.

Body is moderate, with moderate carbonation and a slightly dry finish.

Overall, a modest ipa, fairly malt centric with some yummy hop character. Nice citrus and resin.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 04:34:10 | More by barczar