Category Archives: American IPA

5 - Excellent (must buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Garage Project, New Zealand

Garage Project Death From Above

Wednesday, 6 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 7.5%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Brewed with mango, Vietnamese mint and chili. Hops – Centennial, Amarillo and Citra.

Brewer Description: (from can) An Indochine Pale Ale inspired by the heat and freshness of South East Asian flavours and the high citrus intensity of American hops. Death From Above combines mango, Vietnamese mint, lime and chili with Centennial, Amarillo and Citra hops. This is a beer of balance rather than conflict with bitter-sweet heat and citrus character.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 19th August 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear copper amber colour with just over a one finger off white head that dissipates slowly but leaves nice lacing.
Aroma: Tropical fruit strong with mango, pineapples and peach floating about with some light citrus and chili.
Taste: Very interesting. Not at all what I expected but in a good way. Grapefruit bitterness and caramel start strongly before slowly being lightly muted by a refreshing cooling mint coating, some tropical mango and ever so light chili spice.
Mouthfeel: Mid to light bodied with light to medium carbonation.
Overall: An excellent brew. Very balanced between the hop bitterness, cooling mint and light spiciness. The carbonation was on the low side to what I prefer, but the cooling mint helps to rectify this. I loved this… must buy again in my book.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Beer Reviews, BrewDog, Scotland

BrewDog Elvis Juice

Tuesday, 5 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: BrewDog
Country: Scotland
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Grapefruit infused IPA.

Brewer Description: (from can) Break out the rhinestone suit, gas up the Cadillac, and take this fruit farm for a test drive down Sunset Strip. Packing more fruit than the State of California, our citrus caped crusader will obliterate your senses. A zest zenith on the nose. Fruity foreplay gives way to an all out sensory assault. A truckload of grapefruit, orange and peach collide in an inter-state pile up. A fruity, hoppy cocktail of flavour builds to a crescendo and a bitter finale leaves you screaming for more. Elvis has left the building. Pay homage to the bejewelled Beelzebub of fruity IPAs. A hopped up power ballad for the twenty first century. The King is back and he’s juiced up and ready to roll. Elvis Juice, the absolute King in a world of wannabes.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.84
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 2nd March 2017, poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a perfectly clear copper colour with a two finger off white head that dissipated slowly and left nice stringy lacing.
Aroma: Wonderful strong candy mandarin, orange and grapefruit aromas.
Taste: Some intense hard candy blood orange sweetness! Following the candy sweetness, there was some light grapefruit and bready malt but it was not particularly hoppy for an IPA.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: I loved the aroma which reminded me of those fruit hard candies. It tasted interesting, more sweet than expected and I prefer my IPAs to have more hoppy bitterness and less malt. Overall, it was not bad.

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Evil Twin Brewing x 7venth Sun Brewery, USA

Evil Twin x 7venth Sun Citra Sunshine Slacker

Friday, 1 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing x 7venth Sun Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 4.5%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Brewed at Two Roads Brewing Company.

Brewer Description: (from can) Despite his bitterness, lack of power and insuperable aversion to any kind of extravagant labor – he kind of has a charming charisma, and perhaps he is even loveable. Somehow we find him unbelievably irresistible and stimulating because he is one of the few that masters the ability to effortlessly impress with his sharp intelligence and make it look so damn easy.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 1 pint can with a Julian bottled on date of 23915, meaning it was canned on 27th August 2015. It was poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden straw colour with a two finger white head with good retention that leaves sticky lacing.
Aroma: Strong tropical fruit aromas with ripe mango, guava, peach and apricot. Light citrus lemon in the background.
Taste: Flavours are not very strong. I get some mango and grapefruit, maybe some lemon. On the finish, the bready malt comes out. Its only lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: A nice light juicy beer that is very drinkable. It could do with a bit more bitterness as an IPA, but still good.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Brasserie Dieu du Ciel x The Alchemist, Canada

Dieu du Ciel x The Alchemist Moralité

Wednesday, 30 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Dieu du Ciel x The Alchemist
Country: Canada
ABV: 6.9%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Hops – Simcoe, Citra and Centennial.

Brewer Description: (from website) The concept of Morality is perhaps a subjective one, as the history of alcohol in Quebec may demonstrate. This IPA is brewed with a dare-we-say excessive quantity of Simcoe, Citra and Centennial hops. The dry finish is highly aromatic and slightly resinous, invoking tropical fruits atop dominant hop bitterness. Moralité was crafted at our Montreal location in 2012 in collaboration with John Kimmich of The Alchemist brewery in Vermont, USA.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 341ml botte with a bottled on date of 2nd September 2015 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a bright golden orange colour with a two finger white head that leaves nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Nice strong citrus orange and grapefruit with a hint of peach, apricot and pine.
Taste: Citrus orange fruitiness and pine mixed with grapefruit and orange peel lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: Yum, a very nice collaboration with The Alchemist. Very nice fruitiness and bitterness that works well together and is balanced. Something that I would definitely be on the lookout for and purchase again, especially if I can find it fresher.

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Koppi Coffee IPA Citra x Santa Barbara

Wednesday, 23 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.2%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij. Citra hops and Santa Barbara coffee beans.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ale brewed with coffee (1.5%).

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with best before date of 14th October 2017 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear copper colour with a big three finger off white head that had good retention and lots of nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Extremely tropical with a lot of fruit like mango, peach, apricot, pineapple with hints of grapefruit and pine. Coffee is there, but its far and away in the background.
Taste: The coffee comes out in the taste and the result is like that of light fruity and floral hand drip coffee with light caramel and a nice grapefruit and pine bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: Very interesting. My first coffee IPA and it was tasty. Will be on the look out for the other variations.

words of another dreamy traveller