Alpine Beer Company Nelson IPA

Brewed by Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Alpine, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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I have been waiting to sample a beer made with Nelson Savin since they first hit the market. Thanks to cbkschubert, I finally have the opportunity. Lightly hazy, it even has some floaties from the growler, the beer is a light, copper color and it is topped by a ring of wispy, light tan colored froth. The aroma is quite distinct, certainly hoppy, but not as I have ever smelled before. It is quite herbal, with a note reminiscent of garlic chives, some musky hemp notes, and an almost woody grass-like note that can be quite pronounced at times. There is a fruitiness from the hops too, and with all of the herbal focus, it is not too far of a stretch to say this is like Sauvignon Blanc. It even has a touch of cattiness to it as well as notes of unripe grapes, lime and even some grapefruit if you really dig for it.

Very weird flavors here; certainly quite distinct in its hop character. The hops contribute a definite catty note to the flavor that almost leans towards cat litter (though not nearly as bad as that sounds). Strongly herbal hop notes contribute flavors of pine tar, woody-rosemary, oil-laden hemp seed notes, basil and something that is quite, distinctly, reminiscent of a herbaceous flavor that I just can’t quite put my finger on, but is so apparent that I can’t figure out why I can’t put a name to it. The beer is fairly light on the palate, and definitely is perceived as being quite dry. While the herbal notes seem to dominate, there are significant fruit-like flavors contributed by the hops as well; flavors of slightly acidic, under-ripe, green grapes, kefir lime leaf, star-fruit, and a tart citrus character mix in, and somewhat mitigate the herbal notes. As to the malt notes, well this is definitely an IPA, and they only play a supporting role here; just barely noticeable under all of the hop influence. The bitterness is not over the top here; it is at a nice, contributing level though and helps to clean up the finish.

This is certainly a fascinating hop, it is quite different from any other hop variety that I have direct experience with. Very interesting, and very tasty, I definitely could do with more of this beer. I have a feeling though that these flavors would get old if I encountered them at such levels on a more regular basis. The hop character (both the aroma & flavor) is so musky; it is makes me think of the essential oils of a mix of herbs. I am not sure if it quite works in the IPA format, but could definitely see using it in some of the lighter colored Belgian-styled beers. Definitely well worth it though, and I am still quite exited to use this hop in my own brewing.

Thanks for the brew, Joe! Tons of grassy and tropical fruit-aroma hops. Guava and well water stick out to me with citrus and honey notes. Some dirt in there, too. Killer bouquet. Tastes of some light rye, wheat, dirty water, light caramel, grassy hops, and some citrus. Awesome brew. Light orange body with a white fluffy head. Very clean and crisp. Dry with a low carbonation. Awesome stuff.

Bomber!
Appearance - Cloudy, yellow body
Aroma - Grass, grapefruit and lemon zest
Taste - Hops, wheat, honey, grapefruit, dry

This brew was fantastic, the aroma was like fresh mowed grass on a sunny day! With a plentiful flavor full of tropical fruit and honey, the clean dry finish takes you down a bit to even the palate. A big thanks to OmegaX for this one!

Super fresh growler shared by a friend of mine , awesome man !!

Head: foamy, off white
Colour: yellowish/blond clear
Smell: pineapple, exotic, nelson sauvin, bit of grass
Taste: rich creamy easy to drink ipa with tons of exotic and very fruity fresh and hopy flavours , very well balanced , awesome for session as well !!

Amber in color, clear with a thin head. Terrific IPA aroma and flavor. Great roasty malt flavors and a good balance. Nice finish.

Pours a light, clear yellow/orange with a medium head that fades pretty quickly. Aroma is floral and citrus hops plus a hint of orange peel. The taste is so fantastically smooth. I’m blown away by how good this is. I thought the rye would be bitter but its not at all. There’s a honey and pineapple quality to it as well. Such a good IPA. Alpine knows how to do IPAs.

66cl Bottle at AHBS. Hazy golden orange colour, white head. Aroma of dung, citrus hops, grapes, grapefruit. Flavour is light sweet, malty, very dry bitter hoppy with plenty of grapefruit, light dung and citrus. Light to medium bodied. Nice IPA.

Bottle share on 4/14/12. Pour is hazy yellow/amber with a finger wide bubbly white head. Nice lacing left on the glass as the head fades. Aroma is sweet and floral - honey, grapefruit, and some slight pine. Flavor pretty much the same as the aroma but with a rye backbone. Smooth and good carbonation levels.

14/04/2012 22oz bottle, shared by Tim (thanks dreadnord!). Dorata intensa, lievemente torbida, schiuma bianca abbondante e abbastanza persistente. Aroma fantastico, di una intensità incredibile, pesca, agrumi e resina con spezie. In bocca è equilibrata in maniera magistrale, malto e luppolo si sposano benissimo. Corpo medio, carbonazione soft. Sublime West Coast IPA, bevuta freschissima è esaltante da bere.

Bottle thanks to steve skinner and ang. Hazy pale gold. Lasting white head. Spice rye coriander spicy kumquat. Ok the mouth sensation is unbelievable. It starts with a bit of sweaty nelson and then it explodes in thr mouth. Intense aroma but then improves in the mouth. Pretty damn good. One of the best. Whitd pepper. It is good

another fantastic ipa from alpine beer company. pours a clear amber with medium head. like the duet, this is full of cannabis and resinous hops...fresh, delicate marijuana buds all around. some rye in the finish. fantastic