Free State C3 IPA

Brewed by Free State Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Lawrence, Kansas USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

A lovely 22oz hand bottle from moejuck, thanks Joe! Pours a cloudy orange copper with 30 bubbles for a head. Tangerine and grapefruit are the first aromas. There is the slightest hint of burnt plastic, but very faint and seems to be coming from the tangerine characteristic. There is also a bit of caramel. Flavor is much more bitter than the aroma led on with a good amount of caramel sweetness to help balance it out. The finish is bitter with some sweet biscuity malts. Bitterness peaks around a 5 (out of 10). Burps burnt plastic. Having almost no carbonation kinda thins this out a bit too much, but I can’t give it a two since I know the beer isn’t actually like that. I think Free State is pretty darn good, and this is pretty good too, but I don’t think it’s a 4.0 beer--maybe if I was sitting in the brewpub, though this doesn’t taste like the hops have died out in this yet.

22 oz hand bottle from moejuck. Hazy copper/ orange color with no head. Fruity citrus aroma. The flavor was very juciy. Apricots, citrus flavors with notes of orange peels. Nice lite sweetness in the flavor as well with a balanced bitter finish. I really liked this beer.

Lots of piney hops dominate the aroma.Pours a deep copper with a big fluffy white head.Lots of malt with some nice piney hops as well in the flavor.Full mouthfeel with a very smooth balanced finish.

Bottle from csbosox. Lots of citrus and some sweet malt in the aroma. Dark reddish brown body with no head. Medium palate with very little carbonation. Plenty of citrus and caramel malt in the flavor. I would like to try this fresh to get a better feel for it.

Growler thanks to mreusch. Pours a slightly hazy dark golden color with a tall white head. The aroma is sweet and fruity with a lot of tropical fruit: passion fruit, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, and some carmel. Sweet flavors that reflect the nose with a light bitterness. Slick body and very drinkable. A good brew.

growler, thanks to mreusch for this. pours dense golden with white head. nose of sweet PNW hops, grapefruit, pineapple, and mango, with caramel malt background. flavor is sweet with pinapple, mango, and grapefruit hops. overall not that bitter, but very drinkable. no alcohol notes. great balance and very sessionable. reminds me up Pelican IPA. perhaps this should be listed as an IPA or Pelican IPA should be a IIPA. very tasty beer.

Growler-thanks to Vyvvy for bringing this sought-after IIPA back to STL for sampling (man and did i feel it afterwards!). Cloudy turbid orange with a small white head, but as the pours went, the head gained much more carbonation as we got down the growler. nose is citrus, piney earthy and slighty dusty hop notes. Definately a kitchen sink of hops here of all varieties. light diacytl here for some reason. It adds to the brittish element of this brew. THe malts and yeast scream english, but the hops are all american. Soft, slick body definately worth mention here. lots of piney hops all over the flavors with a balance of the pie crust malt profile here. definately worth a trip to Free State for a sample!

On tap at the brewpub, then later from a growler at home. Pours dark amber with a decent white head. The aroma is very floral with sweet citrus - this is all hops. Medium / thick body that is very resinous with some gentle soft carbonation. The flavor starts with dry grapefruit and light wood. There is some toasted earthy malt for balance only. The finish has heavy resin and is quite bitter. The is no sweetness on the taste. There were some differences from the growler - the aroma has more earthy malts and toasted English malt backing. There was a lot more malt in the taste making it taste more like a British and American IIPA, but on tap it was very West Coast. A Hoppy thumbs up for this IIPA that was enjoyable on tap and in the growler despite its differences.