Tag Archives: IPA

Sculpin IPA – Ballast Point Brewing Company – San Diego, CA

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Brew:  Sculpin IPA

Brewer:  Ballast Point Brewing Company

Style:  American IPA  ABV 7%

Ballast Point Sculpin pours a light amber with a fluffy white head.  The aroma is hoppy with hints of citrus and grapefruit.  Sculpin IPA epitomizes a great IPA and is widely accepted as the quintessential American IPA.  The taste is smooth and refreshing but with a hoppy bite and floral overtones. Emanating from the hops are notes of fruit as well as a slight background maltiness. Within the fruit flavors are tastes of citrus (grapefruit, orange, and lemon), tropical fruit, and apricots.  Even with all these flavors playing a part in a symphony of taste, Sculpin IPA manages to maintain a refreshingly clean drinkability. I have had the pleasure of drinking dozens, probably hundreds of IPAs in my time and Ballast Point Sculpin has consistently made an impression as one of the best (and the one pictured that I enjoyed on El Matador beach in Malibu, CA was no different). When it comes to IPAs, we expect very high quality from well-known Californian Breweries. With Sculpin, Ballast Point goes a step further than the rest to deliver a tried and true American IPA experience. ABV: 7%

Seller Description: A trophy beer that’s a testament to our homebrew roots. Our Sculpin IPA is a great example of what got us into brewing in the first place. After years of experimenting, we knew hopping an ale at five separate stages would produce something special. The result ended up being this gold-medal winning IPA, whose inspired use of hops creates hints of apricot, peach, mango and lemon flavors, but still packs a bit of a sting, just like a Sculpin fish.

Lemon Cello (Limoncello) IPA – Siren Craft Brew / Hill Farmstead / Mikkeller – United Kingdom

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This beer is as difficult to describe as it is easy to enjoy. The nose is thick with lemon and citrus with a slight air of Maltiness. The taste centers around lemon with a background of citrus and the tropical fruit beginnings of the hops. For me it was important to note that the tartness instead of puckering was mouthwatering and truly satisfying. As these tastes manifest, the hops become more apparent and the all star cast of this experience fully reveal themselves. Any fan of IPAs always enjoys an IPA with something new to offer, this beer is it. I have never had a beer with such tartness, well rounded flavor, and a proper ABV for a sour beer. This collaboration between Hill Farmstead, Mikkeller and Siren Craft Brew delivers a truly amazing, scrumptious, distinctive IPA. ABV 9%.

Seller Description: This is a truly different beer. The concept was to develop the flavour and mouthfeel of Limoncello and fuse with the carbonation and lemony hop hit of an IPA. Using pale and wheat malts, the base beer goes through a 24 hour sour process to add to the tartness of the beer. Tons of lemon zest and juice are added to the boil along with all the citrusy lemony hops available

Sweetwater India Pale Ale – Sweetwater Brewing Company – Atlanta, GA

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photo 5 (2)-2-2 Pours a brassy chestnut color, has a very fruity nose with sweet herbal, floral aromas.  Honey and a slight malty molasses flavor are present as well as the stronger lemon zest,  grapefruit, and tropical fruit flavors that emanate from the earthy hops.  The flavor can be slightly tart or sour but maintains an impressive smoothness.  Sweetwater’s IPA epitomizes a great IPA, it has depth, hoppiness, West coast character but maintains a clean drinkability.

Seller Description:  This mammoth India Pale Ale is loaded with intense hop character and subjected to an extensive dry-hopping process. Our IPA is unfiltered, leaving all the natural flavors intact.  ABV 6.3%

Swamp Ape Double IPA – Florida Beer Company – Cape Canaveral, FL

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DSC_0009Pours a golden orange with aromas of citrus and funky tropical fruit. A little spicy with a background maltiness, this beer is dominated by fruit flavors and a noticeable liquor taste.  The fruit flavors dominate with slight tastes of pumpkin and gourd flavors.

This beer is great when Fresh… but is Not great when it is Not fresh.  According to bad reviews outside of Florida it seems Swamp Ape is only to be enjoyed when it is fresh or has been well cared for.  Who knows if it is sitting on store shelves to long, or if it is subject to a transformation along the transcontinental journeys but regardless, people are hopping on the bandwagon to say negative things about this beer.

The truth is:  If you have the privilege of tasting this beer when it is FRESH it will be great.  Sadly, when it is not fresh… it is flat, the head dissipates in seconds and it has very little taste in general, and this is what many have experienced.  Fresh Swamp Ape is fruity, has a great head, a nose encompassing a range of citrus scents, nice hoppy flavors with complex depth, and a smooth funky West Coast IPA finish.

Seller Description:  Florida Swamp Ape IPA is an Imperial IPA, The fresh and lively hop character is derived from using 5 distinct varieties of hops.  This beer has an intense hop bitterness., Flavor and aroma balanced by complex alcohol flavors,  moderate fruity esters and a medium malt character.

Jai Alai IPA – Cigar City Brewing – Tampa, FL

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Jai AlaiJai Alai IPA pours a light amber orange with a fruity nose that has aromas of citrus.  The hopps are at the forefront of this American IPA, delivering a incredible citric flavor and west coast hop dankness.  Flavors of grapefruit, orange, and sweet tropical fruit abound while background notes of malt and caramel round out the taste.  I also noticed notes of black pepper that add a pleasant warming spice.  For IPA lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this, Jai Alai is a of exploration of everything IPAs have to offer.  Like many IPAs Jai Alai is an excellent pairing for spicy food, the hoppiness adds appropriate juxtaposition while while the peppery citrus notes add to the flavor.  This is one Kick-ass American IPA.

Seller Description:  Pours copper in color with notes of citrus and tropical fruit in the aroma. Flavor has upfront citrus bitterness with a hint of caramel and citrus and tropical fruit hop notes in the finish. ABV 7.5%

Hop Karma Brown IPA – Terrapin Beer Co. – Athens, GA

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Pours a golden brown color, notes of molasses and brown sugar in the aroma.  A very nice malty smooth flavor reminiscent of a brown-ale but with a nice hop flavor as well.  The hops are eclipsed by the malt, but present none-the-less. I wanted more hops and West Coast IPA style after reading the description but then I realized I wouldn’t expect it from a brown ale and I appreciate the sweet malt. The hops are evident, especially in the aftertaste and the taste add to the complexity of this exceptional, creative brown-ale.  This beer is no longer available, this limited release may return one day so keep an eye out.

Bottle description: “The Terrapin Hop Karma IPA is a head-on collision between a hoppy West Coast India Pale Ale and a malty, complex brown-ale. Brewed with five varieties of hops, and seven different malts. This hybrid style represents the best of both worlds.”  ABV 6%