Custom's House IPA - Beer Works

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Built in 1819 the current Salem Custom’s House was erected not long before the decline of shipping in Salem. If you were curious.

Translucent goldenrod color with a thin head. White wall of foam left by a thin retention. A 22oz. "man pour."

Strong tobacco leaf aroma. Bready.

Bread and tobacco up front with grapefruit in back.

While this may be modeled after northwest IPAs (as the menu claims) it’s a poor copy. Not enough citrus and not enough aromatics. That said, it’s a fine beer in it’s own right. Just be yourself little buddy.

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2012 21:21:14 | More by donkeyrunner

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-Typical orange IPA color. Minimal head. Decent lacing from the tiny head. A bit hazy.

S-Pretty mellow. Light floral hoppiness. A bit of sweetness, standard caramel. Hops are a bit subdued.

T-A bit better than the nose. Hops are floral mostly. Lightly grassy and a slight tangy citrus bit. Caramel malt rounds out this mellow yet satisfying lighter IPA.

M-Lighter bodied with nice carbonation. Not very bitter and zero resinous quality.

O/D-A nice little IPA from a brewery that makes very easy-drinking beers from any style. Doesn't hold a candle to any of the better IPAs I can regularly drink, but it was not offensive.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2012 02:18:08 | More by VelvetExtract

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on tap at the Lowell beer works location.
Poured a fairly clear deep golden color with a tightly bubbled off white head that slowly receded to form a cap on top. Smells of citrus and grapefruit with a caramel malty backbone. Pleasant aroma for an old school style "C" hops based ipa. Taste is what I expected, citrus and grapefruit bitterness in front of caramel and toffee malt. Long lingering citrus bite in the finish. Medium body and carbonation level, resinous sticky mouthfeel. Very clean ipa probably my favorite beer of the night.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2011 17:35:36 | More by johnnnniee

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Eric for sharing this growler with me after a weekend getaway to the Salem area.

Poured into a pint glass, this brew appears a clear golden copper color. A lighter coloration of yellow is seem around the edges when it is held to the light. A creamy, slightly off-white head appears and quickly fades to a thin film across the top. A spotty pattern of lace sticks to the glass.

The aroma is fresh notes of citrus hops, minorly grapefruit-like mixed with other unidentifiable fruited quality and flowers. A crisp hop bite mixed with alcohol penetrates through and tingled the back of the nose. Once warm, a toasty malt inclusion comes forward.

The taste is minorly rind-like with a light oily bitterness. Pulp, grass and herbs throughout with a light fruity alcohol tang. This is a very fresh and clean tasting brew. A toasty caramel backing provides a pleasant layering for the bitterness of the hops to work off of. Overall well balanced and nicely done.

At times this brew gets a little watery. It is medium bodied with a modest level of carbonation. It is very easy drinking with a clean finish that is crisp and refreshing. Very easily approachable take on the style. I see it has been some 2+ years since anyone has reviewed this offering. I'm sure there has been some variance in this offering considering my level of enjoyment verse the older reviews.

Serving type: growler

08-19-2011 18:55:31 | More by stakem

HalfFull

California

3.15/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured a mahogany amber into a mini weizen/pilsner glass. With all the debate about glass size I found this rather interesting, doubting it was more than 12 oz. I make a particular note here only because it spells out '16 oz.' rather clearly on the menu. Offers a strong lingering head and moderate lacing.

Smells lightly of earthy hops with a strong malt character. Taste is decent but again the malts override, hops are hard to distinguish. Finish is sweet and bitter in an ESB sort of way. Feel is average yet the bitterness detracts given the style, and drink is OK. Very dark and malty for a single IPA. A decent beer yet a mediocre IPA.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Salem Beer Works, 278 Derby Street, Salem

09-20-2008 21:42:08 | More by HalfFull

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Salem- Customs House IPA

A- Foggy orange with a thick messy lacing head.
S- Oily pine hops and grapefruit rind.
T- Mild pine hops evenly blended with a sweet caramel malt base.
M- Sweet and smooth with a mildly bitter finish.

Overall- On cask and tasty. A good sweet juicy graepfruit! Probably the best Salem has to offer.

Serving type: cask
@ Salem Beer Works, 278 Derby Street, Salem

06-26-2008 21:27:12 | More by NJpadreFan

NEhophead

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Growler from the brewery on 03.08.2008; poured into a tumbler on 03.09.2008.

Hazy golden in color with light auburn and copper highlights. Foamy, bright white head with tons of porous bubbles. Thinly ringed and webbed lacing with pretty good strength.

Bright citrus aromas: lemon, lime, grapefruit. Notes of bubblegum and pine. Lightly buttered, toasted malts.

Rough pine and brisk hop resin up front. Creamy, diacetyl-filled malt that backs up an intense earthen floral hop middle. The burnt bitterness is pleasantly intense, but as it recedes it reveals a bland wheat and adjunctory grain base.

Medium bodied; rough and oily, but balanced given what seems to be a hefty amount of hops used in the recipe.

The flavors are more pleasant than not, but still some flaws. Not one of my favorite IPAs, but one of the better brews offered at Salem Beer Works.

Serving type: growler
@ Salem Beer Works, 278 Derby Street, Salem

03-09-2008 21:51:26 | More by NEhophead

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ssrved as a slightly hazy light amber colored beer with moderate white puffy head.
Smell is notable for piney and citrusy hops.
Taste also demonstrates a significant hop presence and some light fruity malyt is also present in the background.
Finishes with more hoppiness, but little taste retention.
A pleasant enough beer, but not anything special.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Salem Beer Works, 278 Derby Street, Salem

10-13-2007 23:28:09 | More by tgbljb

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This had a nice big, rocky, light-tan head. The beer was a clear, deep-amber/lightly copperish (not copper as advertised, sorry) color. The nose was quite floral with hops and the mouthfeel was medium with a lot of hops flavor evident on the tongue. The finish was nicely dry and continued to evince a good deal of hops. It created a decent amount of sticky lace. I had no doubt that there was some generous dry hopping going on in this beer’s creation.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Salem Beer Works, 278 Derby Street, Salem

08-19-2006 19:38:22 | More by woodychandler

bjohnson

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a clear copper color with a nice frothy white one finger head. Good retention and some decent lace.
S: Big citrus--mostly grapefruit--notes in the nose with a slight floral presence also.
T/M: Nice citrus and floral notes. Big bitterness on the tongue comes through in the aftertaste and lingers for awhile. A tad buttery on the palate. Silky smooth coating across the mouth. I like the taste of this offering from Salem Brew Works. Medium body and smooth. Good level of carbonation.
D: Highly drinkable, session IPA. Good tasting and smooth makes this a quality offering.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Salem Beer Works, 278 Derby Street, Salem

08-13-2006 19:17:52 | More by bjohnson

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed pumped from the cask with my lunch at the brewpub on January 7. Poured a toasted orange in color. Just s light chilly haze in the glass. Thick, creamy head with lots of carbonation that were clinging to the inside of the glass when it first arrived. Nose was pleasant hops with a bit of toasted biscuits.

Flavor was a straight forward cask conditioned IPA. Nice balance between the hops and the slightly candy sweet malts. Solid oakiness that gave the taste bit of punginess that was borderline sour. Medium body with kind of a creamy texture. thought it might have been served a bit tad too cold. A nice slow sipping beer that improved nicely as it warmed.

Serving type: cask
@ Salem Beer Works, 278 Derby Street, Salem

01-08-2006 22:23:51 | More by MuddyFeet

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyable cask offering from these folks. Dry hopped with Styrian Goldings. Hazy dark copper/tangerine, the frothy 1/4 inch head offered up notes of toastiness, plus some floral/orange blossom type hints as well. Mouthfeel was fine+, very nice. Tastewise, I was pleased with the level of astringency from the hops, they were actually a bit mouthwatering.

Serving type: cask
@ Salem Beer Works, 278 Derby Street, Salem

07-08-2005 12:23:39 | More by PatandDavid

mschofield

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy orange-gold from the cask. Creamy two finger wheat colored head (brown/gold), laces in sheets.
Mild toasted malt, and citric aroma, the aroma could stand being punched up.
The taste is full of citrus bitterness (lemon peel), grassy, pine, toasted biscuits. Very hoppy but there is a good malt base to it.
Medium full and creamy, mellow, could drink all day

Serving type: cask
@ Boston Beer Works - Fenway, 61 Brookline Avenue, Boston

04-05-2004 22:12:44 | More by mschofield

jackndan

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

IPA: From cask. I thought this was nice. Light amber in appearance. My notes say simply that “it lays a hops blanket on your tongue.” In other words, pronounced hops taste/aroma, with an oily hops residue in you mouth. Very drinkable.

Serving type: cask
@ Boston Beer Works - Fenway, 61 Brookline Avenue, Boston

06-17-2002 11:21:33 | More by jackndan

Jason

Massachusetts

1.65/5  rDev -55.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

This cask had not dropped bright or was a few days past where it should have been, my guess is that they put it out too early or the servers that placed the keg out rolled it out from the back and mixed all of the yeast back into the brew. Full of yeast … yeast in the aroma and flavour, just down right crappy cask … what a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle
@ Boston Beer Works - Fenway, 61 Brookline Avenue, Boston

03-26-2002 19:04:04 | More by Jason