Marin India Pale Ale - Marin Brewing Company

kflorence

California

4.22/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a deep, almost opaque amber brown in color with a great frothy off-white head. Tons of lacing as you drink. Carbonation levels were spot on. Looks to have good body and substance with a bit of oil. A very nice appearance for an American IPA, if not a tad on the dark side.

S: A ton of bitter, citrus and grapefruit hops make their presence known, but there is a definite roasted malt backbone. Some pine resin, fruit and a hint of alcohol are also present.

T: Much more balanced on the palate than the nose led me to believe, the taste is an entanglement of grapefruity citrus and sweet, toasty, caramelized malts. Though I think the hops are slightly more prominent, as they should be for the style, this has to be one of the few American IPA's I've had that manages to balance the hops and malts all the way through, from start to finish. This might disappoint hop enthusiasts, but I find it quite enjoyable. Finishes smooth and bittersweet.

M: This is medium bodied with perfect carbonation and a good amount of chewiness and substance. With a bit of oil, it seems to coat the tongue on each swallow. To me, this is the embodiment of what an IPA should strive for: enough presence to let you know it's there while remaining smooth and drinkable and easy on the stomach.

O: I was pleasantly surprised by this American IPA. From the pour to the palate, I enjoyed the flavor and body this beer had to offer. Perhaps not an overly complex or breakthrough batch, it seemed to strike a chord for me in both quality and balance. Though I think most will find this to be weak as an example of a West coast American IPA, I quite liked the hop/malt balance. As an introduction to the Marin Brewing Company, I look forward to trying out more of their selection. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 04:16:30 | More by kflorence

HopAttack3

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

03-10-2013 12:20:25 | More by HopAttack3

jvillefan

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

02-08-2013 17:34:36 | More by jvillefan

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours a hazy copper color. Head is nice. It leaves lacing and is relatively frothy but has some body to it.

S-Getting that standard citrus/dough combo. Citrus and green bitter grass and pine. Malt provides balance. Definitely hop-forward but the hop flavors do allow the malt to shine through at some moments.

T-Still finding balance. Bakery malt and citrus hops with more pine and grass than the nose led me to initially believe. Herbal hops too.

M-Fuller bodied in terms of the style. Booze hidden well. Bitter and dry. A mild resinous quality. Chewy to some extent.

O/D-Again, another reason for me to believe that the East Coast has some serious hoppy brews that can easily compete with many of these West Coasters. Good price though. I have had this exact beer before I swear; maybe a different label from a different brewery but this take on the IPA is everywhere.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 22:19:49 | More by VelvetExtract

popery

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

02-03-2013 18:31:45 | More by popery

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

01-10-2013 17:58:48 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

BubblesandFoam

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%

01-05-2013 00:27:53 | More by BubblesandFoam

12owls

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

11-06-2012 03:02:58 | More by 12owls

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

10-25-2012 01:51:04 | More by t0rin0

Kanine

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

08-30-2012 22:22:36 | More by Kanine

beerpadawan

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%

08-27-2012 16:25:43 | More by beerpadawan

MilkManX

Arizona

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

08-27-2012 16:05:05 | More by MilkManX

virinow

New York

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

08-11-2012 12:23:30 | More by virinow

UCLABrewN84

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy dark orange-brown with a 1/2 inch foamy beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, intensely herbal hops, alcohol, and a weird cleaning product aroma. Taste is of toasted malt, earthy/dank/herbal hops, and alcohol. There is a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. Oddly enough, there is something in this beer that is slightly numbing to my palate. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a a pretty good beer with a weird smell but its pretty tasty and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 04:25:08 | More by UCLABrewN84

mactrail

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark amber orange in the Ommegang chalice. Large amounts of bubbles on the side of the glass. Prickly on the tongue with a rich carbonation and lots of flowery aromatics.

Toasty and mouthfilling. The citrus taste reminds me of the mild and pulpy kind of orange marmalade. Lots of malt and that mellow, caramel taste. Then some sharp notes, and finally the leafy hops. It tastes like they are completely dry hopped without much bitterness in the boil. A modest bitter aftertaste, again like the orange peel preserves.

22 oz bottle from Best Damn in San Diego. Quite likeable with lots of hops but less harsh than many IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 06:05:56 | More by mactrail

tizride

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

06-06-2012 03:05:25 | More by tizride

seeswo

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

05-12-2012 02:00:18 | More by seeswo

GarretD

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -23.9%

04-11-2012 03:59:55 | More by GarretD

Popp24

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

04-09-2012 21:16:22 | More by Popp24

gleemonger

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

03-29-2012 01:49:48 | More by gleemonger

Lucho

Florida

3/5  rDev -23.9%

03-28-2012 01:46:14 | More by Lucho

terence

California

2.75/5  rDev -30.2%

03-28-2012 00:10:25 | More by terence

Chopman50

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-25-2012 03:31:18 | More by Chopman50

yokken

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-17-2012 06:00:56 | More by yokken

bmwats

Louisiana

3.55/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a: dark golden hue. poured about a 2 finger, cascading, foamy, white head which persists throughout. sporadic dry lacing.

s: steely an hoppy.

t: really piny with a slight sweet tinge.

m: light and refreshing quality. a bit of a steely aftertaste, dry finish. seemed a little washed out, but it was the very tail-end of a cask...

d: more of a sipping brew.

Serving type: cask

02-16-2012 21:14:15 | More by bmwats