Full Pint Chinookie IPA

Chinookie IPA is the third Full Pint beer I've tried so far.  Full Pint seems like a B-range brewery for me so far -- good stuff, but nothing overly spectacular.  Let's see if Chinookie can change my mind:

Vittles:
American IPA
6.2% abv
103.1 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 20/25
Taste: 32/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 81/100

Impression:
It pours well, has good retention, and leaves sticky-sweet lacing as it goes.  The aroma carries a fairly strong hops presence (spicy, piney, slightly herbal/earthy) against a moderate malt backbone (caramel, bread, lightly grainy), with a hint of yeast character lurking in the shadows.  The flavors follow suit, but they seem just a little off to me, out of balance.  I think a slightly more assertive malt bill would be needed to stand up to the level of hops in this beer.  On the plus side, as the beer warms, it draws out a floral quality, too, that complements the piney notes.  The mouthfeel is medium with light to moderate carbonation and a slight sting, but it finishes fairly dry despite the mild stickiness.  Overall, it's a decent American IPA, but it's not going to stand out from the pack.

Cheers!

Breckenridge Lucky U IPA

I doubt IPAs will ever replace Belgians as my favorite style of beer, but they're creeping up there.  Tonight's beer is a Breckenridge Lucky U IPA.  My husband tried it earlier in the week and said it was pretty good, so we'll see:

Vittles:
American IPA
6.2% abv
68 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 20/25
Taste: 34/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 81/100

Impression:
Nice pour, decent head, and pretty good retention.  It's leaving quite a bit of lacing on the glass, too.  The aroma is mainly citrus -- grapefruit and lemon -- with a mild floral/earthy note in the background.  The malt profile smells like caramel, toffee, and a little biscuity.  The flavors are decent -- citrus up front, more earthy/herbal/floral notes in the background, and everything's nicely in balance.  The body is medium-light, and it finishes moderately dry.  All in all, this is a textbook American IPA.  It's not going to knock your socks off, but it does showcase some of the more prominent American hops characteristics (esp. grapefruit aroma/flavor).

Cheers!

Sierra Nevada Celebration

I've had Sierra Nevada Celebration a couple times before, back before I really got into beer.  I remember thinking it was very bold, but I couldn't remember much else about it, so I snagged a bottle to try again:

Vittles:
American IPA
6.8% abv
65 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 38/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 91/100

Impression:
It's certainly bold, that's for sure.  It packs one hell of a hoppy punch both in the nose and on the tongue.  The aroma is dominated by grapefruit, with some spicy, pine, and floral notes playing backup.  There's a bit more of a malt presence in the flavor than there is in the bouquet, and that provides a decent balance, but the American hops characteristics, particularly the grapefruit and pine, are really front and center.  I'm also picking up on something a little on the herbal side lurking in the background -- it's a little unexpected, but not off-putting.  If you're looking for a solid IPA, this'll do quite nicely.

Cheers!

Founders All Day IPA

I keep meaning to try more Founder's beers, since I have really enjoyed their varieties in the past.  I finally got the chance to try their All Day IPA:

Vittles:

American IPA

4.7% abv

42 IBU

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 22/25

Taste: 35/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 7/10

Overall: 85/100

Impression:

The head didn't really pan out all that well, but the aroma brings much of the hoppy-goodness I was hoping for.  I like the citrus/grapefruit and grassy notes, and I was happy they came through on the tongue very strong.  What I like best is the crisp and refreshing feel to the beer -- it doesn't coat your tongue in bitterness like other IPAs tend to do, but you still get a big dose of hops with all of the flavors you'd expect in an American IPA, though the pine notes are rather subdued compared to the grapefruit flavors.  I'd definitely get this one again, especially in the warmer weather.

Cheers!

Lancaster Hop Hog IPA

I've been missing the delicious bitter bite of hops lately, so I grabbed a Lancaster Hop Hog IPA:

Vittles:
American IPA
7.9% abv
55 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 20/25
Taste: 30/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 76/100

Impression:
I could definitely smell the citrus/floral character of Cascade hops in the nose, but there was also something herbal/woody/earthy in the background, too, that seemed more characteristic of UK hops, rather than American hops.  I'd expect more of an emphasis on American hops in an American IPA, so the Fuggles seemed a little out of place to me, despite the fact that I love Fuggles in many styles.  The flavors were a little more in line with my expectations, and it tasted very well balanced up front, but then a lingering bitterness took over on the back end that seemed out of whack, and it did not follow the initial taste very well.  The medium body didn't really add very much to the beer overall, and it finished fairly dry.  I wasn't terribly impressed with this one.

Cheers!

21st Amendment Brew Free! Or Die IPA

My husband picked Brew Free! Or Die out because he loves hoppy American IPAs and he had heard it was tasty.  Bold and hoppy IPAs are continuing to grow on me, though they still aren't my favorite style.  I did enjoy this one pretty well, though:

Vittles:
American IPA
7% abv
70 IBUs

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 90/100

Impression:
I like that this brewer cans their beers instead of bottling it -- less chance of the beer getting light-struck, and canned beer doesn't pick up that metallic taste like it used to.  The head fell slowly and left a fairly sticky lacing behind as it went.  The nose is pretty potent -- grapefruit and pine jump out at me right away, as I expected they would, but I can also smell caramel and sweet-malty scents in the background.  Grapefruit, tropical fruits, and a resinous pine flavor dominate the tongue, but the malt backbone comes through on the finish.  The medium body and moderate carbonation round out the beer nicely, though there does seem to be a tinge of oiliness in there.  Overall, worth trying, especially if you enjoy other American IPAs.

Cheers!

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

The last time I had Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA was probably over a year and a half ago.  And I'm pretty sure I've only had it out of a bottle.  I got a chance to have it on tap the other night, and the rest of the tap selections were... piss poor.  So I wound up having DFH 60 Min. IPA to top off an enjoyable evening:

Vittles:
American IPA
6% abv
60 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 10/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 91/100

Impression:
As you can see, I once again almost forgot to grab a pic.  But, on the plus side, the head retention and lacing should speak for themselves.  The aroma was a bit more complex than I remembered it being -- I smelled citrusy, floral, fruity, earthy, herbal, and bready notes, and the flavors matched fairly well, though I did taste caramel and a bit of pine as well.  The body is medium-light, and the finish is crisp and a little dry.  All in all, it's a very good beer, though it doesn't punch you in the mouth as much as a West Coast IPA.  I'm still partial to the 90 Minute IPA, and I have yet to try the 120, but I certainly enjoyed this one, and I'd be happy to have it again in the future.

Cheers!

Stone IPA

My husband and I went out for dinner the other night, and we wound up at a local bar that makes really good sandwiches.  Unfortunately, most of their taps are usually light BMC stuff that doesn't usually appeal to me.  They did, however, have two decent IPAs on tap, which is a rarity for them, so I got Stone IPA, which I haven't had in years (and I don't think I've ever had it on tap before, only bottled):

Vittles:

American IPA

6.9% abv

77 IBU

Score:

Appearance: 10/10

Aroma: 23/25

Taste: 38/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 92/100

Impression:

It's actually better than I remember it being, but maybe I didn't have it all that fresh years ago, or maybe my memory isn't all that swell these days.  Regardless, I very much enjoyed it this time around.  The head persisted decently well and left a fair amount of lacing as it fell.  Pine and citrus rule the aroma, though I do smell some caramel and toasty malt/bread in the background.  As far as flavor goes, I was kind of bowled over -- citrus, floral, fruity, and pine flavors kept my taste buds guessing, while the malt backbone played counterpart quite nicely.  The mouthfeel is medium-full, and it finishes crisp and clean.  Very enjoyable overall, and I will certainly be looking for this one on tap again.

Cheers!

Heavy Seas Loose Cannon

The fourth beer in my Heavy Seas sampler box was the Loose Cannon IPA.  They still aren't my favorite style, yet I seem to try more kinds of IPAs than anything else:

Vittles:
American IPA
7.25% abv
45 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 19/25
Taste: 33/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 77/100

Impression:
There wasn't much of a head, but I wasn't at home, and the glass I poured into probably had head-killing soap residue on it.  I wasn't overly impressed by the aroma -- citrusy-grapefruit hops with a bready-caramel background.  It seemed on the weak side for an American IPA.  The flavors were a bit more pronounced than the nose was, but not by a whole lot.  The grapefruit flavors were joined by some resinous pine with a little stickiness, and a sweeter caramel came out on the tongue than I expected.  As the beer warmed, I tasted something akin to brown sugar, too.  The finish is mostly clean with a hint of spiciness, and the aftertaste lingers, but not as long as I'd expect for the style.  Overall, it was a decent IPA, but I got the feeling that the hop characteristics had already faded appreciably, even though I had it several months before the best by date (Nov. 2013).  On a side note, I'm not really one to talk about the importance of "fresh" hops -- this is the first IPA where I've really felt the aromas and flavors imparted by the hops were significantly weaker than I expected them to be.

Cheers!

Free Will Techno

I've managed to sample quite a few non-IPA styles lately, so I figured it was time to try one of the last two IPAs in my stock that I haven't tasted yet.  The third style in my Free Will variety box was their Techno, an American IPA:

Vittles:
American IPA
7.3% abv
55 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 36/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 87/100

Impression:
I like the burnt-orange color, and the head had decent retention, leaving slight lacing as it went.  The aroma is an interesting combination of bready and grapefruity smells, with caramel, melon, and earthy undertones.  The earthiness gives a bit of balance to the citrusy hops characteristics and adds a nice complexity.  The flavors are about what I'd expect after the nose, though more of the sweet malt flavors come to the front.  It's well-carbonated, medium-bodied, and a little dry.  It's a little sticky on the back end, and that lingers into the aftertaste.  Well done overall.

Cheers!