Fisherman's IPA - Cape Ann Brewing Company

paulthebeerguru

Florida

1.83/5  rDev -46.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

A: snifter. pours a nice clear tawny color, with bright orange hues. nice two finger head that is off-white in color. great retention rate and decent lacing.

S: very acidic aroma, some sour notes as well. some tart citrus notes but way in the back of the nose.

T: rather unappealing flavors, I get that battery acid flavor. Not nearly enough malts. threes sips and its dumped. too much lactos for me.

M: acidic

D: couldn't finish it...hopefully it was just a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2008 19:10:57 | More by paulthebeerguru

BattleRoadBrewer

Massachusetts

2.03/5  rDev -40.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Packaged in 12 oz amber crown cap bottle.
Served at fridge temp of about 35F
Aroma at the bottleneck was hoppy, a little astringent.
Pour was very cloudy, tons of fizz. Reminiscent of a beer that was bottled too soon, before fermentation was complete. Color was medium amber honey.
Aroma was thin, stale, maybe sour grainy, some hops.
Taste was very weak, not like an IPA, but more like an amber. A poor amber. Astringent, unsatisfying.
Mouthfeel was thin, stale.
Drinkability: No, thank you, one was enough. This beer really needs some TLC, a healthier fermentation, longer rest before bottling. Label claims a distinctive flavor. Not distinctive in a good way, sadly. Distinctive in its lackluster.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2006 01:12:05 | More by BattleRoadBrewer

PeterLemonjello

Alabama

2.08/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Received as part of Beer Club...

A -Not a bad looking beer. Light amber is color with lots of carbonation. Looks thin, over filtered, as though all the body has been stripped out.

S - Not a bad smelling beer, but just not consistent with the IPA style. Very malty. Once again, not bad...but smells more like a malty/bready amber. Maybe a touch of citrus, but certainly no big citrus/earthy/piney/floral smells as one would expect.

T - Just not a lot here. Not awful, no off-flavors...but just a very underwhelming beer. Bitterness is there but there are no hop flavors. Malt/bready flavors are there but are totally dominated by the bitterness. Dry finish. Very confusing beer and not consistent with the style.

M - Thin with lots of carbonation.

D - It's a drinkable beer. I certainly didn't consider putting it down the drain, but it's just not a very good beer.

I almost feel as though this beer was mislabeled. I guess it does have some bitterness which might be IPA-ish to some, but I would honestly rate this as an slightly below average Amber as opposed to a very very bad IPA. No off-flavors, so it's plenty drinkable but one of the worst examples of an IPA I've ever had. Looking forward to trying their award winning Kolsch.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2009 02:13:25 | More by PeterLemonjello

Jermbrew

Massachusetts

2.17/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This is odd tasting. But first.... Dull appearance, Amber and hazy which is fine by me. The smell is weak...no citrus, no pine, just minimal floral scent.

Taste a bit like unsweetened tea. There's maltiness, but whattabout the good hops. Maybe it's a bad bottle, but this does not taste like an American IPA. The head fizzled quickly and lacing is poor. I don't want the rest of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2006 02:51:52 | More by Jermbrew

AllThingsNinja

Massachusetts

2.3/5  rDev -32.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

So, I picked up a sixer of the Fisherman's IPA at a local beer hole. I was optimistic, and love trying local brews.

It poured quite well, and yeilded a beer with an interesting hazy brown color, thick and lacy head. The head was well retained through half of my pint.

The aroma was not distinctive. There was an aroma of hops, but I wouldn't call them fresh. Stale, yet pungent.

The brew was a puckering IPA, but lacked either the malt background or complexity of hop flavor to be inspiring. It seems that the goal was to offer an offensively hopped beer that lacks the quintessential awesomeness of west coast hop bombs. It was a damp, leafy sour flavor on a slightly caramel stage.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2006 11:54:35 | More by AllThingsNinja

deltatauhobbit

Maine

2.3/5  rDev -32.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours a nice shade of amber color but is severely lacing in any form of head or lacing, looks almost undercarbonated.

Smell is almost nonexistent except a couple whiffs of malt, hardly any hop aroma, not looking too good for this IPA.

Taste is bitter malt, not so much from bitter flowery hops, almost no distinction that this is an IPA, low carbonation, not citrusy or grapefruity or even hoppy.

Probably the most disappointing beer from Cape Ann that I've had, for a brewery that has the look of coastal shipping, they should at least get the legacy of an IPA somewhat correct.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2009 17:17:20 | More by deltatauhobbit

DrJay

Massachusetts

2.3/5  rDev -32.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Clear orange/amber with a thin off-white cap that settled to a collar quickly. Decent staying power after that, with spotty lacing coating the glass at least 2/3 of the way down. Lots of malt in the aroma (caramel, toast, biscuit) and not much in the way of hops, though it had an earthy and fruity character that was vaguely English. More of the same in the flavour, along with moderate bitterness that lingered on the palate. Still, it was fairly sweet, kind of like wort that isn't completely fermented. Medium to light bodied with lowish carbonation, dry and astringent. This one just didn't work for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 23:13:18 | More by DrJay

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

2.42/5  rDev -29.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours dark orange with a thick, foamy head that took 3 pours to get it all in there. Such thick foam that I sculpted a little smiley face on my hand with it. Great retention.

Wow, this beer is boring. Smells faintly of floral hops and malt. Tastes of bready malt with some wimpy floral hop bitter at the end. Chalky yeast throughout. Very fizzy carbonation. This is like a practice homebrew.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2008 23:53:34 | More by donkeyrunner

wobblynoggin

New Jersey

2.42/5  rDev -29.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer is confusing, because like other reviewers I am wondering if the brewery even knows it doesn't taste like an IPA, or if they were trying to reinvent one. I know I should be wary of buying an IPA that tells the "blah blah blah yackety shmackety" story about IPAs traveling from Britain to India on the bottle, but hey, it was on sale, and here I am.

A - Promising, as it was as dark as a double IPA, maybe more burgundy than usual, but had typical good IPA lacing.

S - Malty, caramel, nothing else...here, I knew I was in trouble.

T - Malty, caramel, where's the hops? I gave it a 2.0 instead of lower only because the beer was advertised as an IPA, but actually doesn't taste bad. It just doesn't taste like an IPA. If it was advertised as a hoppy amber, it would actually make more sense. The more you drink it the more you pick up the hops, but in an IPA that should be very up front. I don't like subtle IPAs.

M - Not horrible, but the caramel notes linger from start to finish, and take over even as you try to gauge the carbonation and viscosity of the beer. I almost feel like I am drinking a caramel sundae. Holy caramel notes!

D - Like I said, it is not a horrible beer, just not an IPA. I could drink quite a few as long as I make up my mind that I am NOT drinking an IPA.

Market this beer as Caramel Amber and they will have a hit on their hands! Maybe they will read this and give that a shot!!!

As low as the score I gave it, I would maybe even try to get beer novices to try it, because it is not very extreme, and price wise, worth sharing too.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2009 01:39:18 | More by wobblynoggin

Coorskid33

Rhode Island

2.45/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Appears~ 1.5'' head that lingers well and laces the glass. Cloudy and orangey with carbonation barely visible.

Smells~ Good and clean. Not overpowering. Floral slightly but mostly citrusy.

Taste~ Initial quick burst of hops is quickly lost in huge carbonation. No citrus flavor that is smelled and expected.

Mouthfeel~ Watery and carbonation overload! Not the greatest.

Drinkabilty~ Maybe an average to below average IPA. My initial hopes after pouring and smelling this beer were crushed after tasting. Not great, but not awful, just disappointing I guess.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2009 00:17:01 | More by Coorskid33

ILikeGoodCider

California

2.7/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Enjoyed on 05.07.09 from a 12oz brown bottle. Poured into a 14oz USA pint glass. Part of a BOTM sample set.

A: Pours a deep amber with a good head that dissipates quickly. Low-medium lacing

S: Malt, w/herbs.

T: Sweet malt, brown bread, citrus and strong hop finish. Def a Amer. IPA

M: Light oil. Malty.

D: I wouldn't pair food with it. Good edge to it. Unfortunately I can name at least 50 better Amer. IPAs I've had...

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2009 09:25:50 | More by ILikeGoodCider

BeerTruth

Connecticut

2.73/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle served in a pint glass.

By looks alone this beer made me quite excited, but you can't judge a book by it's cover. Very, VERY generous off white head that sticks extremely well to the glass throughout. Poured dark, cloudy, burnt orange. So the smell is almost like apple juice or cider very little hop odor for an IPA. I think there is some interesting spice notes in the nose as well. Should this be just their Pale Ale? We'll see...Taste is interesting as well. Bready for an IPA but there is a good hop bite for the lack of hop odor. But there is that "apple" flavor to it too that doesn't seem to fade. Mouthfeel is quite dry, especially in the aftertaste. I see where it's an IPA with it's dry mouthfeel, but flavor is definitely lacking for an IPA. Different for sure, but I wouldn't seek this one out.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2007 01:12:39 | More by BeerTruth

jackorain

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

An aggressive pour into my Stone Levitation glass resulted in a 2.5 inch light tan head wit good staying power and impressive lace as it fell. The liquid beneath was a clear, bright, dark amber-red. When held up to the light it was nearly garnet in color. This color is a little off for the style but none the less quite attractive.

Fruity and caramel malts hit first. Mild floral and mild green hop notes follow this. Not much here really.

On 1st sip a deep caramelized sugar malt characteristic is noted. This is followed by a green and floral hop bitterness that lingers into the finish, but is by no means strong. Not complex but okay. Oh wait, as this thing warms up, the flavor profile degraded, with an odd bitterness. Not that good after all.

The body is quite light for what I though the color would lend. There is a watery quality as well. The carbonation is nice and style appropriate.

When it was cold, I thought, it was at least somewhat drinkable, but after it warmed up, I decided that the three I have will probably be the the only one I will ever have.

Thanks for Reading

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 22:19:16 | More by jackorain

prototypic

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bottle courtesy of csmiley. Thanks a ton.

Appearance: Whoa! It's readily apparent that this one suffers from over-carbonation. It's a nice caramel color mixed with plenty of garnet. The head is way off the chain. It's off-white and a ridiculous 4+ fingers deep. Wow. It's so big it's annoying. Obviously, it took a while to dissipate and left waves of lace clinging to the glass.

Smell: Up front, it's sweet and malty smelling. Smells biscuit-like. Interesting. There's some fruit aromas following it up. Smells mostly like lemon and light pineapple. Hops are far more faint than they should be. They smell primarily floral and earthy. This is a peculiar smelling IPA. I'm not sure I've ever smelled one like it. It doesn't exactly have all the earmarks you'd ordinarily expect. It's even a little underpowered to boot. Very average.

Taste: Wow. I'm really having a tough time with the American IPA label. It's a little sweet and features a strong toasted malt flavor. It is yeasty and biscuity. Very peculiar for the style. There is a floral hope flavor that's earthy and even a little grainy. It's a little bitter, but it's not even close to having the punch it needs. Very disappointing. There are some light grapefruit, pineapple, and lemon flavors that emerge late. It does have a dry, bitter flavor that kicks in on the tail. But, it's almost unpleasant. Definitely not working. No alcohol is noted. It finishes dry, leaving a bitter taste lingering.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's medium bodied, but is nowhere even close to smooth. Carbonation is way too high and severely hinders the feel. Drinkability is very average. I'm not liking the flavor and there's far superior American IPAs on the market to spend too much time on this one.

Fisherman's IPA needs a great deal of work. It's an oddball IPA that's off the mark. The biggest problem is its severe over-carbonation. It's way too much. That coupled with the excessive malts and lack of good hop flavor render it a little below average. This one needs to go back to the drawing board. It's simply not a good representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2009 03:01:30 | More by prototypic

tchenery

Virginia

2.78/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A head that stays around and bright white too! I was beginning to think these didn't exist on filtered/pasteurized craft beer anymore. The color is very rich for style. It almost looks like an English IPA instead of an American.

It smells malty. I'm picking up more "raisin type malts than anything else, especially hops which are non-existent. I picked this up in a mix 6 pack from a store with limited selection and it might be old, but there's no date on the label or bottle.

Tastes very malty, almost sweet, with little bite or hop bitterness. I'm confused.

It has a good full mouthfeel and is very drinkable, but it tastes more like an English Pale Ale than an American IPA.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 23:02:34 | More by tchenery

alysmith4

District of Columbia

2.9/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this on tap a a great little sports pub in DC. Appearance, smell, and mouthfeel were all good, but the taste was a tad on the sweet side. Was expecting more hoppy flavor, but it was a little to sugary. Would try this again, but I don't think it's a good representation of an IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2008 12:59:58 | More by alysmith4

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.9/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light golden brown color with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is a little metallic but contains caramelized malts, some hops and some citrus.

T: The taste is on the malty side for the style with flavors of caramel and citrus up front. A hops bitterness comes in quickly but it's pretty weak for an IPA. There's also a metallic bite to it that throw's everything off. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp but not very smooth, medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Not very tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, decent kick, not the best representation of style, I'm hoping I got a bad bottle but it definitely was not very good and it's not one that I would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2009 02:43:02 | More by TheManiacalOne

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

2.9/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a tumbler pint, the beer is a slightly hazed auburn-copper color with a very slight filmy coating in the middle of the surface. Aromas are roasty and dark caramel sweet, with a subtle citrus and fresh hops highlight. Flavors are muddled, with a sugary sweet backbone and some tropical fruit highlights like pineapple and citrus blends. Hops are overpowered in the background, with a slight peppery and tangy bitter presence. The aftertaste is tangy sweet and slightly bitter, with a cloying and slightly drying finish. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 01:53:24 | More by GarthDanielson

strengthdoc

Connecticut

2.93/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

As I poured this beer from the bottle I noticed a very dark amber color which is somewhat uncommon in IPA's. The aroma was nice an crisp with a mild flowery hop and some alomost lager characteristics. The mouthfeel was fairly light. The hop taste was light and flowery which stayed pretty consistent to the finsih and aftertaste. This was OK, but I have found better choices.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2009 02:26:39 | More by strengthdoc

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a cloudy amber color with no foam

S - more malt than anything, hints of some piney hops

T - not a very strong tasting beer, i'd expect more from an IPA. the malt dominates with a bit of some piney hops coming through

M/D - Overall an ok beer, nothing too overwhelming, just a weak version of an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2009 20:04:02 | More by mikereaser

WJVII

Wisconsin

2.98/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

My wonderful wife got me a beer of the month subscription and this is the first brew from my first month (12 beers total, 4 different from 2 breweries each month)!

Poured into a pint glass this brew has a golden color with a pink hue. There are large carbonation bubbles but almost no head to speak of. The aroma is a little off. Very light smell of some hops but that is all. The taste is very thin. More sweet than bitter and the finish is a little metallic. Not the best brew but I have high hopes for the BOM club.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2009 23:45:14 | More by WJVII

OutFox

New York

2.98/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - Clear with a deep amber in color. Small white head.

S - Smells of weak hops with a small citrus. It sort of smells watery.

T - Same as the nose. Its just lacking in hops and body. It has some high notes I mean there are hops there but if your brewing an IPA in the American style or even in America period it has to have a decent hop background and a decent sort of malt body and I didnt feel this had either.

M - Watery and without body.

O - Ive had the Pumpkin Stout and the Kolsch style from the brewery and was impressed with both. This just didnt do it for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 23:56:16 | More by OutFox

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A-Pours a relatively clear orange with mild head. Nearly no lacing. Slight chill haze.

S-Very soft. More malty than anything else. Softer notes of dried out citrus and yeast.

T-Balanced, leaning more towards the malt. The hops are very dull and there is a strange, nutty flavor.

M-Drinks easy enough. Tons of bubbles.

O/D-A snoozer with a serious lack of flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2013 00:52:40 | More by VelvetExtract

kangarooAdam59

Maine

2.99/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Into a pint glass:

A: golden brown colored body that yielded a one finger white head. There was some good decent lacing that speckled itself around the glass in rings, also light sediment at the bottom

S: dominant malts and caramels, hops (Bueller, Bueller, Bueller?), yup not there .... ????

T: exactly the same as the smell.

M: light to medium with a light carbonation that was felt, dry aftertaste and finish

O: is this an English IPA or an American IPA, or an IPA period? Because I almost want to say this is neither and would call it an English Pale ale because the hops are so subdued in this. I liked it for what it was to me, but not necessarily for the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 14:33:28 | More by kangarooAdam59

travduke

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Dark amber with a small white head that quickly dissipates leaving little lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malt, light hops. Nothing really stands out here.

Taste: This is completely different than any IPA I've tasted. Overly sweet malt stands up front to the faint bitter hops.

Feel/Drink: Mouthfeel was thin and drinkablity is low. I just wasn't in to this.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2010 16:17:46 | More by travduke