mpersinger (176), , California, USA Oct 24, 2008 Updated: Oct 26, 200812 oz bottle. Pours nearly burnt orange with compact beige head. Aroma is cleanest citrus hops and orange marmalade, with pine and a fruity Hawaiian Punch note. Body is refreshing: neither watery nor filling but satisfying. Flavorful caramel sweet undertones complement steady fruit hop bitterness. Distinct because it is delicate and bold simultaneously. Sparky27 (1567), Phoenix, Arizona, USA Oct 23, 2008 Bottle courtesy of Iowaherkeye. Pours a beautiful crystal clear gold with a half finger snowy white head that results in decent lacing. Nose is floral and citrus hops and light malt. Taste is tangerine, mango and pink grapefruit with a piney finish. Medium mouth feel. This is delicious – thanks Joey! jarspag (593), Los Angeles, California, USA Oct 23, 2008 Damn, a GABF gold out of 106 entries? I had to try it...and was refreshingly relieved to find it was actually pretty solid. Good caramel malt background play around with a unique hoppiness. It doesn’t beat my green flash go to 6 packer IPA, but it isn’t too far behind. Lagunitasfan (432), San Diego, California, USA Oct 22, 2008 On tap at Stone. Keep the glass tonight. Sweetness on the nose complemented the hoppiness. Nice deep orange color. I’ll use the word nice a lot. I was pleasantly surprized after some of the other Firestone brews. A sweet thickness was well matched to the clear and sharp hoppy flavor. Caramel, piny citrus fruit, but not heavy or sticky. Nice one. DaSilky1 (1933), San Diego, California, USA Oct 22, 2008 Nose was very sweet and fruity with notes of pineapple and mango. A slightly hazed yellow-orange beer. the head with thin but liked to produce a lot of lace. Flavors dry and citrusy but with a firm malt background and complimenting hoppiness rather than being cumbersome. Bitterness really only evident in the aftertaste where it rounds things out and reminds you that you are drinking an IPA. The beer has a very clean, crisp, slightly spicy freshness that is quite nice. pantanap (1323), Chicago, Illinois, USA Oct 11, 2008 12oz bottle from hophead 22 (trying to put a dent into all these ipas!)....pours a medium caramel brown with a thin frothy white head. quite lively.... more malty of a nose than expecting. toasted malt ..... flavor brought forth more of a balance between the hop and malt. biscuity caramel malt interspersed lighter bittering hops. perhaps this isn’t the freshest of bottles as the hops aren’t as prominent. not bad though. jhumphries69 (718), Tyrone, Georgia, USA Oct 8, 2008 12oz bottle. Pours a brilliant orangey-gold with a thick off-white head that leaves subtle suds of lace on the glass. The aroma is nicely hoppy - grassy with distinct orange citrus and subtle bready malt notes. The flavor starts hoppy. There are noticeable levels of evergreen, citrus, and earthiness. There is also a nice underlying malt character that is bready with a nice balancing residual malt sweetness and a very nice touch of toasted bread flavors and subtle melanoidins (munich malt?). At mid-palate the beer is pleasant and refreshing with a subtle sweetness but mostly a dry, crisp texture and full, firm hop bitterness. The finish is somewhat dry from the hops and is thick and resiny with simcoe hops. It is also somewhat full with a growing sweetness that does a great job of balancing the firm bitterness. Malt complexity grows, too, with the finish - after a few sips - exhibiting, for instance, subtle notes of molasses The mouthfeel is full and slippery with a subtle sting from carbonation. Overall, a very nice, hoppy American IPA. alexanderj (2213), Chino Hills, California, USA Sep 27, 2008 On tap. Copper/orange in color with a creamy head and some lacing. Aroma of grapefruit, citrus, toasted caramel, bread and some fruit. Flavor was basically the same as above. REally solid flavor. Pretty hoppy for the style, but it lacked a little bit of balance. Still some really good stuff.
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