Smuttynose IPA

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

Bottle - Pours light amber with a big, white, pillowy head. Lots of maltiness on the nose, offset by some light citrus hops. Flavor is nutty and grainy to start, with some sweetness and some bitter, grassy hops. A really grassy, bitter finish lingers a long time in the mouth. This sucker feels great--real creamy and medium-full bodied. I’ve been impressed by what I’ve tried from Smuttynose and may have to seek out more in the future.

Pale yellow medium bodied IPA. Spicy, C-hop good times bitterness. I liked this IPA, alcohol a bit over for a session beer, worked well with my palate draining a few bottles.

A-Body is a foggy pale amber color that pours with a small <1/2 finger white head. Head quickly fades to a thin collar and leaves behind no lacing in the glass Cloudiness is thick (for the style) and uniform. S-The nosy is faint, but distinctly hoppy. A citrus hop smell comes through the most. A sweet caramel malt backbone can also be detected. T-Upfront is citrus and grassy hop flavors with a subtle malt backbone. The hop flavors become more intense for the finish as the malt flavor fades completely. Left to linger is a high profile resiny hop bitterness. This lasts and lasts and is somewhat cloying. P-Medium carbonation and smooth body that seems heavier in yeast than hop oils. O-Aside from the cloying bitterness this is a great beer. Thanks to thaichile for the trade. Smuttynose is here but is pretty hard to find. I’d like to try Big A next. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 09-02-2008 20:24:45

Being a hophead, I thought that the bitterness was balanced nicely with a great basic fruity flavor. I had tried a couple of other Smuttynose brews and this is definitely my favorite relative to its peer group. Very straightforward and solid choice if you’re having more one.

I’m a big fan of the India Pale Ale style of beers. I think the appeal lies in its paradox taste in that it’s sweet and yet very bitter at the same time. This is true of Smuttynose India Pale Ale, a beer that tastes more like a Belgian White with an extremely hoppy side than a traditional IPA.

POUR, COLOR AND AROMA

Smuttynose IPA pours to a bright orange color and forms a large, bright white, foamy head. Now, I have seen beers with hazy or pulpy complexions before, but never both at once. Usually, hefeweizens are known for their freshly-squeezed orange juice-like body, but this beer goes a step beyond with particles that float in the middle of the glass and never sink to the bottom. How cool is that?

The aroma is very citrusy with notes of grapefruit, lemon and orange. The beer seems like a breakfast juice cocktail which made me wonder if it would taste sweet and bitter or just plain sour.

TASTE

With a strong citrusy taste and a bitter finish, Smuttynose IPA is a very flavorful beer. Much like the aroma, the taste is a mixture of citrusy flavors, with grapefruit being the most predominant. Usually, grapefruit is an extremely tart taste, but it’s balanced out well here with the strong hop side.

This beer rates at 65 on the IBU scale and it’s very apparent upon the first taste. The label says it’s dry-hopped and that certainly is an accurate statement. The taste here is a good mix of citrus and hops to give it a sour, lemonade-like, lip-smacking taste.

FINISH

Normally, when I describe a beer’s finish I usually talk along the lines of smooth or harsh, but this beer doesn’t really fall into either category. The finish is much more dry than anything else, although I’d say it’s fairly smooth for an experienced IPA drinker. Those not accustomed to the style might find the flavor too strong and the finish harsh.

BODY

Since this is a good example of a craft beer, it’s probably at least medium in body, right? I’d say Smuttynose IPA fits that role exactly since it is 6.6% ABV and probably has at least 200 calories. I drank two after dinner I wasn’t overwhelmed, but I could definitely feel the effects of each beer as I drank them. It makes a good alternative to dessert, although I wonder if the beer really needed to be quite so heavy in body.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As an appreciator of beer I’m always looking to try new styles, so Smuttynose India Pale Ale was a pleasant surprise to me. I haven’t encountered an IPA with such a citrusy taste before, so at least I can’t accuse it of being unoriginal. It might be a little dry and heavy, but the good taste made it absolutely worth drinking.

NOTE: watch the VIDEO version of this review at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ2_wTNqHY8

12oz bottle. Good drinker, good not great. Have had many times, makes for a good six pack.

12 oz bottle pour. cloudy orange with some nice tiny floaties in there (flavor bombs perhaps?) good rocky off white head with above average retention and decent lacing. Aroma is heavy on the resin with grapefruit bringing up the rear. Flavor comes in hard with the bitter oily resin and a miniscule sweet malty turn before kicking back into the sour/bitter grapefruit of the nose. catch a slight bit of orange and pine in there too but definetly dominant resin and grapefruit. Long bitter finish. the kind that you can extend by sucking the flavor out from between your teeth and under your tongue where it has nestled in to hang out. Much enjoyed here on a chilly spring evening. Will be recommending to my fellow Hopsters.

Golden pour. Creamy white head with gentle lacing. Not much aroma. Very bitter, very dry finish. A little piney on the flavor. Like, not love. Not bad, not great.