Alpine Beer Company OBriens IPA

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

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Tap at Alpine: Aroma: ripe citrus fruits, somewhat dank, floral hops, pine resin, some toast and a touch of caramel. Appearance: light copper pour, white head with average retention and lacing. Taste: grapefruit, orange, moderately high bitterness, sticky pine sap, caramel and some residual sweetness. Alcohol is well hidden, hop-forward but some malt character balances nicely, finish is on the bitter side. Palate: medium body and carbonation. Overall: a nice IPA, I would say that I like some of the other Alpine hop-forward offerings better, but this is very solid.

Pours a crystal clear, deep golden color with a rapidly dissipating off-white head that gets perpetually fed by carbonation bubbles from the bottom of the glass. Sweet grapefruit nose is so inviting. Full body that enters the mouth so smoothly you’d think it was nitrogen. Lovely citrus through and through without overpowering. This IPA has nice balance.

Tap at Alpine and at Toronado SD. Pours a clear orange. Medium soapy head. Nose is dusty, sticky, cheesy. Some vanilla. Taste is meaty, butterscotch, dusty. Doesn’t seem fresh and this is as fresh as it can possibly get.

Growler shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt! The beer is light orange / amber hued, with a half inch of white head that leaves decent lacing on the glass. The aroma consists primarily of wonderfully fresh citrus and hops. This is one helluva tasty beverage. Wow. Another success from Alpine. The beer is hop forward, with virtually no malt presence, which is perfect. The body is a tad on the thin side, but that just makes it easier to guzzle. This IPA is teeming with flavor, and goes down as easy as...well, you get the idea. I preferred the Hoppy Birthday to this, but O’Brien’s IPA is an awesome beer nonetheless. I would love to have this again. Serving type: growler Reviewed on: 06-01-2011

UPDATED: JUN 9, 2012 Deep orange-amber body. Crystal clear. Bid white head, decent lacing. Grapefruit, resinous pine, slightly herbal hop profile. Mild caramel malt presence. Clean, smooth carbonation. Medium bodied. Assertive bitter finish.

On tap at the source. Damn good to be here... Pours a shade darker than duet with a medium transparent orangey brown and topped with a thin creamy milky white head... Aroma of earthy herbal citrus notes. Somewhat unassuming compared to the others. Light dankness... Flavors are much of the same with an herbal cattiness and touch of grass. Lighter m the fruit than the others. Body isn’t too heavy, somewhat resinous. Filling in the blanks are some toasty caramel. Good almost very good but falls shirt of the rest.

Pours a medium to dark orange, slightly clear. Good lacing, not much head to speak of. Aromas are more restrained then the other alpines, light hops and malt. Taste is very hoppy, creamy, with notes of pineapple, and orange. Good IPA from Alpine

Fresh growler courtesy of Snojerk321. Pours clear amber into a tulip glass, with fluffy white head. Aroma of big sticky resinous pine, floral hops, and citrus. Taste is lightly sweet caramel malt, with big bitterness. Mouthfeel is clean and crisp, and finishes dry. Not very balanced, which I love, VERY piney hops.

Growler purchased on 5-19-11 straight from the source. Aroma is amazing, just like all of their ipas, very floral on the nose. The beer is crystal clear brownish yellow with a nice white head and good lacing. The taste is biscuity, not overly malty, not over hopped, just perfect. Another huge winner from alpine. I love these guys!

UPDATED: AUG 6, 2012 Got a growler of this from Alpine in mid August 2009, finally sitting down to review from my notes. Pours a beautiful orange-apricot color with a white head and a nose that overwhelms the nostrils with citrus and tropical fruits. While the taste isn’t over-the-top hoppy, they’re just right and showcase the tropical flavors of the nose. The mouthfeel is just about right, and the smell/flavor combo lead to unparalleled drinkability--one of the best IPA’s I had on a long trip. Serving type: growler Reviewed on: 09-22-2009