Modus Hoperandi - Ska Brewing Co.

chaz410

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from tap at flying saucer.
Smells of sweet orange citrus and piney hops. SOme nice caramel and pilsner malt underlying the hop profile.
Taste of sweet caramel slathered with spicey citus and mango style hops. Finishes with an earthy pine hop and slight alcohol ring.
Smooth mouthfeel with crsip finish.
Easy to drink IPA I like it better in can though

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2010 04:31:34 | More by chaz410

nickd717

California

4.03/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Falling Rock in Denver. Pours a deep clear amber color with a thick and creamy white head that lasts. Aroma is caramel malt, earth, cannabis, and citrusy hops. Flavor is caramel malt balanced by citrusy/weedy/piney hops. A little pine as well. The sweet/bitter balance is at a perfect level. Palate is medium with average carbonation and some nice hop oils. Drinkability is high. Well-crafted.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2009 19:21:02 | More by nickd717

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap, served in an Imperial pint glass, Raleigh Times, Raleigh, NC

Poured a very nice deep rich amber, not clear, with an off white, thick but light head that had good retention and when it dissolved it left a small thin cap and some very nice lacing.

The aroma was very good, citrus hops perhaps, not much else was noticeable. Very well done.

The taste was really good, not over powering, citrus hop and I think that I got some peach as well. The malted barely can be found, but very much in the background, but provides some needed balance.

Medium body, nice bitter aftertaste, smooth, creamy and rich, but not overly so, and very good drinkability. Overall, this is probably the second best American IPA that I have had, right after Bell's Two Hearted.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2009 16:28:58 | More by PhillyStyle

rye726

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours tan with a thin beige head. Nose has subtle malts and some grassy hops. The flavor profile was light and seemed a bit stale. Needed a bit more pop to it. Grainy hops and subtle malts. Body is a bit thin and under carbonated. Decent session beer from Ska.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2009 04:46:34 | More by rye726

SpruceFish

Burkina Faso

4.22/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

i have had this beer on tap, in the bottle, and in the can my favorite being on tap but the other 2 are still pretty good

A- dark cloudy amber color what ad IPA should look like

S- lots of fresh hops and some pine the freshness really come out when drink it from the tap

T- great fresh hop taste some citrus and grapefruitty taste and some good pine floating around in there

M- good level of carbonation medium body

D- great smooth drinkability i could well i have sat down and drank a few of these

notes: ska is the biggest brewery in durango and till now i have not been to impressed with their beers yet this one really raises the bar in my opinion its not the greatest IPA but its a real solid beer the cans are great if you are going hiking or some thing and want a tasty beer in an interesting place

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2009 00:53:00 | More by SpruceFish

bigbelcher

Arizona

3.85/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Even though I had this on tap, I am really looking forward to drinking it out of the cans I bought later today.

Pours a light golden color, huge hop aroma of grassy hops. Decent white head with minimal lacing. Flavor was overly bitter without much actual hop flavor so not totally balanced but a really good drinkable IPA anyway. At 6.8% abv it is at the upper end of an American IPA and with the hop bitterness is actually a lower alcohol double IPA in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2009 17:36:19 | More by bigbelcher

FernandoIce

Colorado

1/5  rDev -75.7%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

If I could give this a beer a 0 I would the taste alone made me puke. I'd rather drink cat piss, and I hate cats..I have drank a lot beers in my life and this is by far the worst. I understand why there are no negative comments on this beer, it's that bad. I didn't want to waste 250 characters on it but I felt someone should.

Serving type: can

06-17-2013 04:35:47 | More by FernandoIce

BeerWizard

Colorado

4.18/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I pick these up quite a bit, admittedly. Love the graphic on the can, and something about that deep green just suggests hops and refreshment. The first time I had one of these I was really surprised it poured as dark as it does; almost like a reddish-orange, totally clarified, and perfectly carbonated. Poured into a goblet with a nice one inch head that flattens out into a bubbly film that pretty much doesn't go away the whole time you're drinking it. The nose has a warm, tropical fruit profile, like pineapple and mango; and the malt gives it some vanilla and caramel aromas. Really nice. Flavor and mouthfeel-wise it's quite balanced. The caramel in the flavor is predominant and sweet, but the bitterness from the hops and alcohol keeps it tight - both satisfying and refreshing. Overall I think this is a great beer from Ska Brewing, and a great IPA overall.

Serving type: can

06-09-2013 00:49:30 | More by BeerWizard

Ysgard

Virginia

3.76/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Pretty Darn good.

Appearance is slightly darker than typical of IPAs, orange into amber. Lacing isn't insane but exists.

The smell is just a touch of citrus with earthiness, and strong pine.

The taste is stronger of earth and Pine, with the citrus at the end. Crystal malts somewhat distract from the hops, but there is just enough maltiness overall that this is forgivable.

The mouthfeel is nothing to write home about. Nothing detracting, but slightly thicker than I want at this level of beer.

A good solid beer, but no Dale's.

Serving type: can

06-07-2013 14:58:01 | More by Ysgard

HalfNelson

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: A deep dark sunburst orange with a nice blonde two finger head that dissipates quickly. Nice thick lacing throughout

S: Very pleasant a lot of floral and fruity hops and good whiff of pine that comes through.

T: You get hit with an awesome rush of floral hops with great piney hops coming through saying hello. Then like waves in the ocean you get hit immediately right after with the delicious piney hops. Finishes very clean and leaves you wanting more.

M: very smooth and creamy almost silky.

O: I love this beer definitely one of my go to IPAs

Serving type: can

06-06-2013 05:16:38 | More by HalfNelson

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4.4/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Can from The Cave, Glasgow (355ml, £3.29):
Bright amber with a nice sized, half centimetre tall head that stays well initially before turnings to a thick looking and solid lacing that is foamy and white looking.

Pine & floral hops with a strong, tropical fruit aroma that consists of some pineapple, peach and mango; all very refreshing. There is some grapefruit and some subdued malts with a slightly sweet and bitter end.

Sweet & tropical fruits to begin with, there is some pine and grapefruit with quite a bit of bitterness. There is some mango and floral flavours with a bit of a kick and some lighter caramel malts.There is also a lot of citrus too.

Medium with a creamy texture with some nice floral notes and plenty of bitterness. The finish is crisp and very dry one yet somehow still seems refreshing.

Great pine and floral hops with some excellent tropical fruit flavours that are strong but not quite overpowering. The bitterness levels are pretty high but the beer remains an easy one to drink and goes down particularly well.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 15:07:17 | More by flyingpig

guityler83

Wisconsin

3.89/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark orange to maroonish red hugh color. sustaining finger tall kahki colored head with big chunky lacing. Slight haze.

S: Tropical fruit (blueberry, melon, kiwi) hop precense, a little catty also. I don't detect any alcohol, but a hint of toasty malt.

T: Very in your face dank piney bitterness right on the first sip. The toasty malt character comes through in the middle as you feel your pallet adjust. it finishes with a familiar refreshing pine taste.

M: Oily texture as it washes down with moderate carbonation and low to mid-low body

O: As far as IPAs go this was middle of the road. If you like yours more bitter than aromatic with the emphasis on dank hops, this is for you.

Serving type: can

05-30-2013 01:34:16 | More by guityler83

metter98

New York

4.05/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer is clear amber in color and has no visible carbonation. It poured with a thin off whit head that died down, consistently leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of citrus and pine resin are present in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of citrusy hops along with notes of caramel from the underlying malts along with a moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and crisp on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is rather easy to drink hop-frward IPA and is a good representation of the style.

Serving type: can

05-27-2013 01:28:34 | More by metter98

DenverHopHead

Colorado

4.39/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Underrated. I love me some Modus Hoperandi! Pours out of the can almost like an amber, forms an impressive head and leaves sticky lacing up and down the glass.
As soon as you crack open the can and take a whiff...Wow, reminds me of those great Cali IPA's! This is smooth and easy to drink. The palate is alive after the first sip! Great beer!!!

Serving type: can

05-24-2013 23:59:29 | More by DenverHopHead

CHILLINDYLAN

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Clear copper with orange highlights. Healthy 2 fingers of cream colored head that lasted. As is dissipated, there was an abundance of oils. Beautiful sticky frosty laces.

Grapefuit and tropical fruit, spicy pine and resin. Hop domination over a toasty caramel malt profile.

Loads of grapefruit and tropical fruits up front followed by a bashing of spicy piney resins. Slightly sweet caramel and toasty backing. Great tongue punching pine bitterness that leaves a great aftertaste.

Dry and Sticky. Medium body. Slow medium carbonation.

Very drinkable, tasty, and refreshing. Great bitterness and hop profile. Would love to have this as an option around my neck of the woods, but I can settle with it as a great standby when I visit friends and family in Colorado.

Serving type: can

05-23-2013 00:07:40 | More by CHILLINDYLAN

BucannonXC5

California

3/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.75

Type: 12-oz. can
Glass: Hotel glass (half pint, half snifter)
From: Wilbur’s Total Beverage in Fort Collins, Colo.
Price: Part of a variety 6-pack for $9.99
Purchased: May 2, 2013
Consumed: May 3, 2013
Misc.: N/A

Poured a dark caramel amber color with two fingers of off-white head. Nice amount of spread out lacing on the sides. Average retention all the way down.

Smelled all sorts of hops, starting with resin hops. Also citrus hops (grapefruit, orange peel) and floral hops. Skunky resin really dominates here.

Taste was a bit out of whack. Lots of different flavors that really didn’t work well together. The resin hops comes in first, but is not as dominant as the smell. Could taste the alcohol for sure and it reminded me a bit of aftershave. Kind of heavy and grainy. Faint floral hops and some grapefruit citrus hops. Very bitter.

Medium body. Thin texture. Average carbonation. Bitter finish that was way too much alcohol.

The alcohol here just dominates. Not a big fan and I’ll do my best not to try it again. Maybe just a skunky can?

Serving type: can

05-09-2013 06:41:10 | More by BucannonXC5

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.79/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - pours a slightly hazy, deep orange with a white head. Nice lace. No bubbles.

S - unusual aroma for the style. The malt note is stronger than the grapefruit/pine hops. Fresh can too. Overall, the aroma is nice, but it reminds me of a cross between a robust ESB and an English IPA more than an American IPA.

T - is similar to the aroma with respect to style. Again, it's more malty than hoppy. It's dry malty, not sweet malty and moderately hoppy. The combination works for me. The flavor was tasty, but quite different from beers normally classified as an American IPA.

O - it wasn't what I expected in terms of style, but it's a well made beer that I enjoyed drinking.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 22:08:22 | More by GuzzLah

TheBrewo

Michigan

4.21/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

We crack the tabs and pour a brew of rich amber honey into our Great Lakes pints. It holds a two finger head of cream colored cakey bubbles, showing good retention. Honeycomb lacing is left around the glasses as it slowly bubbles away like a stew. No haze or sediment is noted, and carbonation appears to be medium. The aroma is big, with spicy grapefruity, earthen, and herbal hops, deeply toasted caramel and pale malts, dried oregano, honey, lemon iced tea, and soft fruity apricot. With warmth comes soft bubblegum juiciness, enhanced earth, dirt, and dust, and faint fruitiness of passion fruit. Our first impression is that the flavoring is just as deep and spicy as you would expect from that nose, with brightness, freshness, and fullness. As we sip, the taste opens with vegetal bite of zucchini and radishes, with citric, earthy, and lightly piney hops. To mix are bittered pales, baker’s yeast, black pepper booziness, tannic lemon tea, and cooked brown sugar sweetness. Coming to the peak are notes of dirty earthiness of hops, bittered grapefruity rind, apricot sweetness, tobacco leafiness, more fusel booziness, and under ripe strawberry fruitiness. The finish comes with bite of graphite, light woodiness, fresh dill, faint bubblegum esters, syrupy caramel malts, nectary hops, and freshly pulled lemongrass. The aftertaste breathes bitterly of kale leafiness, mineral, newspaper inkiness, more bittered pales, more peppery booze, hop bitterness of citric rind and herbal grassiness, solid plastics, and biting English breakfast tea. The body is medium, and the carbonation is medium. There is nice slurp, smack, cream, and froth to each sip, with an oily coating all around the mouth. This gives way to boozy dryness and pucker. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks very easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was its robustness and fullness of flavoring for a “single” IPA. From the nose you can tell this guy is going to be huge. The hops are heavy, syrup-laden cones, while the malts are dark, toasty, and sweet in their own cereal way. The sip is everything you would expect, striking an even, refreshing blend. The bitterness is strong, however, and it is easy to see why this might defer the faint of heart. With a soft slurp to back it up, this guy lives up to the hype, and would certainly become a fridge sippin’ for us if it were in our market.

Serving type: can

05-02-2013 00:38:15 | More by TheBrewo

Roose13

New Jersey

4.04/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

12oz can poured into a pub glass

A: Clear, copper color. Thin creamy head. Laces nicely

S: Very piney, bready.

T: Piney in taste. Malty, a bit sweet and very bitter. Dank, a little earthy as well.

M: Medium body. Coats the mouth and lingers.

Overall: Very good IPA. Another beer that kicks the stupid can myth in the.. well, can! Overall I think it's an excellent beer, and hits me the same way Torpedo does from SN minus a few notches in ABV.

Serving type: can

04-13-2013 23:39:24 | More by Roose13

Moose90

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz Can
Best By: 11AUG13
Tasted: 09APR13

A – Translucent and bright copper. Head is tall then recedes, but leaves very nice lacing down the inside of the glass.

S – Piney and earthy hops dominate. Light muted citrus comes through as well. Very complex, and more aromas come about as the beer warms. Pineapple, lemon, and a light peachiness.

T – Crisp, bitter, piney. Not very resinous, but the bitterness is not over the top. It makes this quite enjoyable. Flavors of fresh pine, and bitter citrus fruits come through.

M – Dry, clean, crisp...refreshing. Very drinkable, though the finish trails off rather quickly.

O – This is one of the driest I've had in the style. It has a great hop bitterness to it, but that leads to a lack of complexities overall. Somewhat one dimensional, though still very enjoyable.

Serving type: can

04-10-2013 05:38:37 | More by Moose90

bradmclaughlin

Colorado

4.14/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from can into pint glass.

Appearance: 1 inch head (with great lacing while drinking), beautiful copper/bronze color, really clear. From the look of the head, the carbonation seemed like it would be heavy, but it was standard for an IPA.

Smell: Pine, grapefruit, biscuit, herbal.

Taste: Initial taste is bitter with pine tones, finishes really with sweet malt and begging to try another sip. The taste is influenced by the smell and is delicious. Grapefruit rind is prominent and the IBUs seem way higher than the given 65, but the finish begs to differ.

Mouthfeel: Balanced malt with the hops, really a perfected IPA.

Overall: This beer has won me over, from the initial pour, I knew I was going to love it. Ska Brewing has created a masterful IPA, highly recommend! If you see it at your local shop, buy it.

Serving type: can

04-02-2013 23:34:39 | More by bradmclaughlin

bambam2517

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz can best by May 21, 2013. Poured into a pint glass and drank at 45F.

A - Bright rusty orange body with a solid cover of white froth, very little lacing but the cover lasted all the way down the glass.

S - Extremely hoppy, piney. Peppery notes, some pear, apricot and citrus present also. Smells like a lot of complexity squeezed in here.

T - Yikes! Hop-bomb to bitterness, killed it in a bad way for me. Can't speak to any complexity going on at all, just a bitter medicinal quality. It settles down after the first taste, but then nothing more to speak of than bitter hoppiness.

M - Very dry.

O - A beer with aspirations of being great but suffers from overexuberance. More exciting than a macro brew, but less drinkable. I'd like to put it down below a 3.0 where i rate the macros in that regard, but I appreciate the effort.

Serving type: can

04-01-2013 22:19:37 | More by bambam2517

--Dom--

Missouri

4.31/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz can into a pint glass. Pours and orange-copper with a sizeable head. Smells of strong danky pine, awesome aroma.

Taste opens with a straight shot of piney hops, followed by some bitter grapefruit. Gets more bitter toward the back end with a strong bitter finish. The malt presence is well in balance. Mouthfeel is crisp, not too heavy.

Overall it's a great sessionable ipa. Great balance, good price at 8.99 a six. Definitely worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 04:47:02 | More by --Dom--

AmitC

Indiana

4.26/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz can into a snifter. Best by date of 4/7/2013

Color is amber. Some haze and may be very fine suspensions. A good one finger thick off white head with excellent retention. Some very good lacing on the sides. Calm, translucent and with no bubbles.

Aroma is a lot of earthy and weed like hops. A little bit of pine flavor. Grapefruit notes. Strength is good.

Taste has some well balanced bitterness throughout. A nice slight bitter finish. A good amount of grapefruit and other citrus notes. Nice bread like malt.

Mouth feel is medium bodied with low to moderate carbonation. Well balanced yet delicious.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 16:23:55 | More by AmitC

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a burnt orange amber brown color, somewhat hazy, with a about a finger of white head, recedes quickly. Minimal lacing.

Pine and malt aromas up front, plenty of hops as well.

Similar flavors of pine malt and hops, with a prominent malt character also present. There is also a sweet floral aspect as well. Very piney and resinous.

Medium bodied with light to medium carbonation. It's what they call chewy, I suppose.

Overall this has been one of my favorite IPAs since first trying it a few years ago. Can't get it in my region, but am glad to try it down in NC. Cheers.

Serving type: can

03-24-2013 23:35:31 | More by rodlavers