Samuel Adams Latitude 48 Deconstructed IPA - Simcoe

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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A - Pours copper amber with a 1.5 finger off-white head that melts into a 1/4 inch creamy cap that stays throughout the beer. S - Dank pine mixed with pungent grapefruit, T - Lots of pine, grapefruit mingles in the background, heavy spearmint, herbal, and the pine comes back in with some bitterness. Faint malt in the shadows. Some sugary lemon stands out as it warms. Tea tannins type bitterness also comes into play. M - Moderate carbonation, smooth, light to medium body. Not as bitter as the Ahtanum. This variety is complex and adds a variety of pungent flavors. Serving type: bottle 05-17-2011

from notes: good amount of smoke with the pour. the beer is copper colored with a slight off white head. the aroma is slightly bitter malts, bready, maybe even some citrus. the taste is very bready, full body, piney hops, not much citrus like in aroma. some alcohol taste. note: older beer.

16th June 2011
Clear bright amber beer. Small white head. Crisp palate, with a carbonated sting. Dry creamy malt base. Fresh and slightly pithy orange hop with a bitter trailing edge. Finishes dry and crisp. Refreshing and solid.

Pours a red amber color with a modest creamy, light cream colored head. Aroma is very strong of pine, with some grapefruit citrus notes. Flavor has a very strong pine flavor up front, keeps it up in the middle but a light grapefruit presence kicks in to help sweeten up the brew at the finish. Crisp brew with a slight citric acid bite producing a light dry finish to the brew. Overall one of the better brews in the box. The pine and grapefruit flavors are fantastic with the base malt bill for this brew.

Clear orange-amber in color with a good head that lasted a long time. Moderate amount of lacing on glass. Less aromatic than the standard Latitude IPA as well as at least some of the other deconstructed versions. Woodsy, pine-like aroma with red grapefruit and floral notes. Taste: caramel malt nicely balanced with a piney hop component that turns more bitter in the finish where the red grapefruit flavored Simcoe hops come to the fore. Of course, the flavor in this single hop brew is neither as complex nor as rich as the standard Latitude IPA. Medium bodied. Crisp throughout with a notably dry finish. A very slight harshness. Overall: As a fan of standard Latitude 48, I was surprised to like this single-hop version nearly as much. While lacking some of the complexity of the ’regular’ version, this one is quite pleasant and provides a drier feel. I’m impressed that this single hop variety can carry the bittering, the aroma and the flavor. I’ll add this to the mental list of favored hop varieties.

The beer is amber hued and transparent, with a finger of off white head that leaves some decent lacing on the pint glass. The aroma is kinda weak, with some pine and earthy notes. The flavor is a step up from the aroma, although the beer is far too malty for the style. What is the deal with all these East Coast IPAs being so malt heavy?!? Another disappointment. Sigh. The flavor is decent, and the beer is drinkable, but this could be so much more. Hops overshadowed by malt does not equal American IPA. I enjoyed this more than the standard Latitude 48, but overall, still feel that this beer comes up way short. Mediocre for the style. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 09-06-2011

I got the 12-pack last July and stashed it in the fridge with the idea of a video tasting comparing all six at once. Never got around to happening. Now it’s 10 months later, and I finally decide to just do two at a time. I’m comparing this to the Simcoe, both poured in Sam Adams glasses. Pour: Kicks up more foam than the EKG did, more bubble action. Same amber color and floaties, hop bits or yeast sediment, I’m not sure. One I finally get all the bottle poured, I have rocky peaks over the glass edge. Aroma: At this age, I get of medicinal smell from oxidation, my fault for not getting around to it. But that increases the perception of alcohol. Some citrus and pear in the hops. Taste: Hops still prominent in the form of bitterness. Some pine resin notes. Fuller mouthfeel when tasted one after another. Though with a few more swigs, that thicker malt texture lightens up. Still, gotta say there are enough hops involved right to the end, although by now they give a definite impression of dried hops. But I should’ve drunk these 9 months ago.

Rich copper as the others. Nice grapefruit with a touch of melon. Sweet mouthfeel knocked around by rich citrus pith bitterness. Nice work.

Bottle from BevMo: Poured a simple copper color and had developed a small layer of film for a head. In the aroma, a danky scent of west coast hops that had plenty of citrus notes as well as a light background of oats or whole wheat. As for the flavor, there is a thick syrupy base of what seems to be malt extract but does have a bready taste to it that makes for confusion because of the grain, whole wheat, and oats. However, there is a bitter and slightly zesty taste of hops that are earthy and yet metallic.

12oz bottle. Deep copper brew with some off-white head. Nose is my favorite out of all the deconstructed series - tropical fruit, pine, and grapefruit. Flavor is earthy with caramel and resin.