Left Hand Warrior IPA

Brewed by Left Hand Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Longmont, Colorado USA

Pours a lacing beige head with a clear amber body. Aromas of fresh pine and a hint of citrus sweetness. Flavor is herbal, pine, and some citrus. The finish is slightly dry and bitter.

Left Hand Brewing Company, Ltd.--Warrior IPA India Pale Ale--2007 Release--22 oz. Bottle--6.60% ABV--60 IBU’s. (3.75 / 5.0) IPA-Arctic Liquor Beer of the Month Club Selection January, 2007. Lacy mild head. Hazy bright amber orange color. Floral ester fruit mild hop front. Mellow tangy creamy fruity caramel ester body. Mild tangy hop lingering fruit spice end. Too fruity! Sampled 5/25/2007. Left Hand Brewing Company--Warrior IPA--Fresh Hopped India Pale Ale--2008 Release--22 oz. Bottle--6.60% ABV--60 IBU’s. (4.5 / 5.0)--IPA--Foamy lacy dense head. Clear thin bright rich amber color. Rich earthy pine citrus floral fresh hop front. Spicy hop infused mild toasted caramel dry sweet crisp body. Clean refreshing tangy hop spice end. Sampled 1/11/2008. $6.49 Each. Left Hand Brewing Company--Warrior IPA--Fresh Hopped India Pale Ale--2008-9--22 oz. Bottle--6.60% ABV--60 IBU’s. (4.5 / 5.0) IPA--Fresh Hop Rich dense lacy off white head.No sediment. Clear bright rich amber color. Mellow floral Warrior hop front. Rich smooth creamy mild sweet fresh hop resin amber caramel body. Balanced smooth hop spice clean refreshing mild bitter quenching end. Easy tasty hoppy. Sampled 1/14/2009. $7.25 Each.

22 oz. bottle from Keller’s IGA. Pours an attractive dark amber, more gold at the bottom and darker at the top, with a half-inch creamy off-white head that leaves even lacing down the glass. Aroma of floral hops, orange and grapefruit citrus, caramel malts, and earthy notes. Flavor is more of the same, leaning way more toward the bitter side than the sweet, and with some soapiness in the middle. Light-medium bodied, with a bitter, malty mouthfeel. Lingering bitter finish. I think I got an older bottle and probably sat on it for too long, so I’d be willing to revisit one of these fresh.

A - Very nice color. Sort of an amber/light ruby color...unique for an IPA. Healthy head and lacing down the glass. Very nice. S - Pretty straightforward grassy and piney hop aroma. T - Taste leaves a little something to be desired. It has a nice bitterness but it tends to overwhelm the hop flavor. Not sure if it’s the wet/fresh hops or hop variety, but I get a big bitterness but not a big accompanying hop flavor bouquet. There isn’t a lot of malt backbone to it, so it just comes across as bitter with a flavor neutral profile. Has a nice dryness to it. M - A tad thin/watery....but not bad. D - I have to all this one average as it’s just not that enjoyable to drink for me. It is in no shape or form a bad beer....it’s just lacking in a little more flavor for me to want to order another.

Bottle at first DC tasting of 2010. Orange with a white head that settles quickly and leaves little lacing. Aroma of gun metal, grass and licorice. Strange combo. Bitter and dry hoppy flavor throughout. Mediocre.

From DC Local tasting. Pours a clear reddish amber. Aroma is all that stale strawberry cheesecake that comes from an overload of crystal malt peeking through the faded beta-acid hops. Taste is heavy on the crystal malt and lots of cloying sweetness and old cheesecake. Meh. Past it’s prime.

Yellow-orange pour with a thin bubbly white head. Nice floral hop aroma with a touch of nutty malts. Bitter malt flavor wtih tons of hops. Very fresh tasting.

Very hoppy, lots of bitterness, but just too much crystal malt and too sweet to be a great IPA. Lots of astringency. Bleh.