Angel City IPA

Brewed by Angel City Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Los Angeles, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

UPDATED: MAR 7, 2008 Re-rate: 22 oz. bottle, also from BevMo LaJolla. Pours a medium clear amber with a small to moderate off-whitish head that leaves spotty lace. Aroma is toasty with light notes of summer fruit and citrus, floral hop notes are evident as well. Flavor is interesting to say the least. This is definitely not a West Coast IPA, with biscuity malts, hints of toffee and toast, citrus notes and floral hops quickly come to the fore along with a bit of dust and earth, leading to a bitter herby finish. Light to medium body and moderately tingly carbonation. This bottle is not infected like the first one I rated likely was. Overall I like the beer, it’s quite drinkable and enjoyable. Still it’s way out ot the IPA box for me, and I agree with others who have cast it as ESB-ish, or certainly VERY traditional English in style. My overall rating went up by .2 for this bottle. 22 oz bottle from BevMo LaJolla. Pours dark amber/copper color with a moderate off-white head that leaves a trace of lace as it dissipates. Caramel malts, tart fruit and citrusy hops in the aroma, maybe just a bit soured?, hmmm. Flavor features more of the caramel malt and just beginning to sour fruit, earthy and herbal notes along with the citrus hops. Medium body and gentle carbonation. Not bad but not what I was expecting. I’ll have to have another and perhaps rerate.

Copper tone with a frothy white head, this has more the aroma of a sturdy APA than an IPA - caramel malt with light citrus, resinous, and earthy hops. The flavor has a more intense bitterness to counter the sweet caramel malt. The finish quiets down, leaving a lingering but mild hop bite. A decent brew, but not an exceptinal IPA.

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Body is a rich red with a slight chill haze. The head is a creamy, long-lasting foam. The aroma is a touch of caramel and a bit of canned tea. The flavor has a timid bitterness at the end with little real hop flavor or aroma. A good bit of yeasty fruitiness.

Super clear, deep copper, almost amber with a thin off white head. Head goes away almost immediately. No foam, no lacing. Huge caramel malt aroma, that’s all I get, maybe a little toffee. Flavor is bitter up front, then carmelly and malty in the middle, and a little bitter again in the finish. Detected more of the Goldings flavor as the beer warmed, tiny bit spicy and maybe a little lemony. Nice medium body. Different in an English kind of way. Not really my style, but appreciated. A little over carmelly, but good.

22oz bottle-pours a light tan head and gold color with particles. Aroma is some hop, medium malt and a bit of off-putting apple cider. Taste is some hop, medium malt and a bit of off-putting apple cider, maybe a packaging/bottling issue. While still quite drinkable would like to try again. OK carbonation.

Bomber courtesy of danielcurtis81. Pours copper with a sticky white head. Smells of grass, hay, earthy. Tastes of pepper, bubblegum, sweet citrus.

Sampled February 2007
Pours with a brilliantly clear, reddish copper color. It is topped by a frothy, initially two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The aroma has an interesting herbal, almost vegetal note to it. It is quite malty as well with notes of caramel, toasted biscuit notes, and chewy, almost malt extract type notes.

The beer is quite smooth up front with just a touch of malt sweetness. The finish dries out even more and has a toasted, almost roasted coffee like note to it. The beer has a solid bitterness to it that is noticeable throughout the brew. There is not a whole lot of hop flavor here; just a light herbal character is noticeable. The malt seems a bit old; notes of caramel, and toasted grain, but also a sort of aged malt character that is both dry melanoid rich. This tastes like a pale ale, though it has more malt character. This really seems a throw back to the days before the American craft brewing hop craze. Drinkable, and fairly decent, but even using English hops this could be greatly improved upon.

I ordered this at the Yardhouse the other night and drank it before it really struck me as a great beer. I guess for that reason I’d give it a very drinkable nod, but I would not seek this one out if you want to be impressed. I remember some strong hop presence in both the flavour and nose, but a fairly watery body.