4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap at the brewery. Pours a slightly hazy orange with a moderate white head. Big hoppy aroma with lots of maltiness. Flavor is very balanced with lots of hoppy bitterness and caramel malt to make it very enjoyable.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
Punchy! Nice citrusy nose on this one that follows up well with bitter hops and a velvety mouthfeel. A little caramel on the back end as well. Nicely done IPA.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Poured from G’s growler in his kitchen and enjoyed from his living room. E running the remote control truck like a pro. Back to the beer... Appropriate aroma for a double IPA - strong hop, candy grass and citrus hiccup. Dark gold with an apricot hue. Due to the growler the head was faint. Flavor-wise it is quite good but less punch than expected for a double/Imperial. Round on the tongue with fruit. I feel good.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Tap -> Growler -> English Pint glass. Celebrating the July 27th birthday of Papa Larry and the Aug. 10th birthday of mine with the folks, the sibling & his family, and my family. Pours a dark apricot amber, with a slight haze, and lt. brown head. Smells of hops, but not as hoppy as would be expected by the C3. Very balanced hops, grass, and citrus. Tastes the same, plus "something sweet." Great beer with some funk and presents. As James Brown said, "I feel nice."
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Date: February 25, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: hazy copper, fine beige head
Aroma: sweet caramel and crystal malt aroma
Flavor: sweet malt flavor with a good combination of crystal and caramel sweetness, lots of balancing hops, touch of fruity orange and tangerine, touch of peppery alcohol along with other spicyness, light bitterness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
I hate to be that guy, and then again, am I drinking a completely different beer. Or is everyone enamored with Free State so much that they are too biased by the old ratings? Either way, this beer is extremely overrated, as far as I am concerned. Tap at the 20th Anniversary celebration. Color is clear amber. Aroma is thick with yeastiness (dough) and lots of sweet biscuit malts. All this really hides the cube-ness of their hoppiness. The hops come off sticky and there is too much residual sweetness. This is mimicked in the flavor as it becomes a bit cloying for me. Its also very candy-like in the mix of residual sugars and hops. Its fine as an IPA but nothing special, I’ll take the Copperhead any day.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap for the 20th Anniversary/Birthday celebration. Ah the elusive C3 IPA. After two years of visiting Free State, I finally get the chance to try this highly regarded beer. It pours a cloudy dark amber-orange with a creamy beige head that laces nicely. The nose is a big hit of "C" hops (shocker, given the name) with an emphasis on the grapefruit, backed by a sweet caramel/pale malt in support. On the light side of medium-bodied with a slick mouthfeel, it transitions to a controlled but tongue-squeezing bitter finish; remarkably drinkable this beer has the potential to be quite dangerous. The flavor is of solid grapefruit and piny hop notes blended with a pale malt backing, transitioning to a lingering bitter finish. Unlike many IIPA,s this beer actually seems to become more bitter as it warms. This is easily the best brewpub IPA that I have sampled.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
On tap at Free State for the 20th anniversary. Pours a cloudy and hazy orange body with a thick and dense, foamy white head that dissipates slowly and remains very lacy. Aroma is very fresh, juicy, tangy citrus hops. Lots of tangerines and oranges as well as grapefruits. Some honey sweetness in there and a caramel cookie maltiness. Flavor is very reminiscent of Bell’s Hopslam. Lots of juicy tangerines and a sweet, cloying honey finish. Moderate bitterness throughout. Very sweet with a bunch of sugary apricots. More of the cookie maltiness and a tweak of caramel. Palate is pretty light and quick. I woud prefer more of a maltiness throughout. Very smooth and clean though. Overall, a really nice DIPA. Good flavor and plenty of hops to go around. The body is pretty average, but anything that reminds me of Hopslam is worth trying. This brewpub is continuing to impress.
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